Black Swan - Time to Fly

Once I saw a play inspired by Andersen’s fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. And I was struck by the idea portrayed by that play, the idea I could not find in the tale. Unaware of who he truly was, the ugly duckling was ready to believe that he was a turkey, a rooster, a duck, any domesticated bird or beast. Because he felt himself an outcast. But no matter how hard he tried to copy the ways of other birds on the farm, they would not accept him. He would not blend in. An end came to his struggles only when he realized he should not strive to become part of the flock or herd. He should not follow someone else’s rules and copy their ways. He was who he was.

And when the ugly duckling found his tribe, he again was different, not like the rest of the birds. He was a black swan. But the swans welcomed him and accepted him into their flock because they saw his unique beauty. The yesterday’s ugly duckling became part of the swan tribe, which did not demand that he deny himself. He could be himself and be part of a bigger whole.

Why have I been thinking so often about the swan’s story these days? Because this allegory reveals the roots of the crisis that has swirled into itself both Russia and Ukraine and the entire Europe. Part of it is Russia’s fault too. Our fault is that we had denied ourselves and we had been doing so for a while. We attempted to become someone else. And so did Ukraine, which is still trying to become what it is not. And we all have to pay a very high price for our mistakes. Dazzled by shop-window glitter, Russia had been striving to become like Europe, unable to grasp why all its efforts continue to fail.

The vaunted European values are well known: respect for human dignity; freedom; democracy; equality; the rule of law; respect for human rights, including the rights of minorities. We neither wish to disparage them nor consider them alien to our nature. The problem is that our values are much broader than that. We simply do not fit into the Procrustean bed of the European values. The Russian values embrace Alexander Suvorov’s “perish yourself but rescue your comrade,” the folk wisdom “he who digs a pit for others falls in himself,” the Christian rule “do to no one what you yourself dislike,” and the Caucasian respect for seniors. Could you image the European values put “mercy over justice”? But all this is what makes the Russians who they are. Loyalty, love for the Motherland, veneration of heroes, pursuit of justice, and “mercy for the fallen”...

We had been seeking to fit into Europe, but we are bigger than Europe. You cannot put more into less. You cannot narrow down our values to market economy and the rule of law. As to competitiveness, no matter how good it may be, it cannot be a national idea. “What is your national idea then?” you would ask. And I will answer you with a question: What is the feeling of the Truth? Do you need to define it? Our national idea is to be Russian. Being Russian means more than having a certain nationality or genetics. It is about sharing the time-proven values that our people have been carrying at heart for centuries.

The Russian people are Magomed Nurbagandov, a Dagestani; Konstantin Rokossovsky, a Pole; Ivan Kozhedub, a Ukrainian; Fatykh Sharipov, a Tatar. In order to be Russian, you do not have to deny your nationality or abjure your religion. You only need to share deep in your heart the values of justice, mercy, mutual supportiveness, love for the Motherland and the Russian culture. Democracy and the rule of law cannot, in principle, become ultimate values for the Russians. These concepts are just modes of existence of society. I would not give my life for any of them. But I am ready to sacrifice my life for my Motherland and for my people. Because being Russian is more than just being alive.

Russia will not be part of the animal farm and will not fight for a place at the feeder. Simply because Russia is a swan, unique and beautiful. A swan that will never again deny its destiny – to fly.

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Russian orginal by Archivarius https://t.me/archivarius_dz/9372
English translation prepared for Stop Hating Russia https://t.me/StopHating_Russia/308