Categories: History

Tragedy and Conquest

Hello hello! And welcome to a new post!
I am not really sure what to write about here. Disjointed thoughts that I am not yet able to fully connect, and as I write this, they keep increasing alongside my doubts about what I say.
My trip to Hungary reminded me of how tough life is and how weak we are. Hence, the title – tragedy and conquest.

I am grateful to have been born in Europe, after all the wars and conflicts we had, and witnessing this union of values and economic interests that we built!
I think we only achieved it because a lot of blood was shed.
Fights make sense. Fighting for positions in the hierarchy, defining borders – fighting for more space, more natural resources – same as a tribe fighting for better hunting grounds or places where they could collect more food. And we (along with the rest of the world) found a way to compete more peacefully and develop economic interdependence, which helped this rapid technological development and led to a massive improvement in living conditions!
Of course, it doesn’t stop all wars – the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for example – but it can discourage them.

Europe is full of examples of “growing pains”. Hungary, in particular, did not have it easy… I explained it a bit in Budapeste, Bratislava e Viena. They were occupied by numerous Countries/Tribes/Empires. And every time a new leader took control of Hungary, the set of rules everyone had to abide changed, religious/historical monuments were destroyed or replaced, and people were forced to either adapt, flee or try to rebel… (I know there are other options, but I see these as the more likely)

A question raised in my mind: Are the war winners right? – after all, since they won, they will be able to define what rules to follow, what is accepted, what isn’t, and the general direction the country will tread.
I don’t have an answer to it. I can not even define what “winning” means. After all, life is an “Infinite Game“, as Simon Sinek would say. If it doesn’t end, how can you proclaim you won?

When the population gets a new ruler, people might resist, rebel and not agree with the decision, but, at some point, it either becomes the norm, or a new regime emerges. – So time plays a role…
Other things that probably play a role can be: “did the living conditions of everyone improve?“; “Do people feel respected?”; “Do they have more opportunities, are safer, and are more stable?”
Otherwise, a change is bound to happen. If people oppose it, it will change – the time and number of deaths before the switch happens depends on the rulers. With democratic elections, the change rate is pretty fast. In North Korea, not so much…

I feel like a way to define if the new rulers were right is to analyse questions like “Did the population of that country get better conditions as a result of it?” “Did it have a negative impact somewhere else?” – If we can maximize the first and minimize the second, it is a win! I think… But this can only be decided after time passes and more information is available so that we can study the results it brings.

Since we live in the present moment, while things are unfolding, it is hard to understand what is going on. Each person will perceive it with “their own eyes“, using the partial information they have, and interpreting it based on their experiences and predispositions.

And even though there are infinite possibilities for every human being to interpret the world and act, it feels like we limit ourselves to two labels.

I am either the oppressor or the oppressed, the invader or the invaded, the colonizer vs the colonized, pro-vax vs no-vax, democrat vs republican, etc. We see these roles everywhere – “Good vs Evil” or “The Hero vs The Villain” – it is an archetypal story. Very simple, produces emotion and is easy to understand. Perfect for humans to get behind, almost no questions asked, and fight for the cause! – It makes us feel good! We are the heroes fighting for justice!

– The problem is: It is not that simple!!! We are both the oppressed and the oppressor at the same time! In different situations/areas in our lives. – Hungary was at the same time oppressed by Austria and oppressing Slovakia! – We are a multitude more than what any label can define. Each of us is unique, and that is part of what makes all of us interesting! Our historical context and the groups we are involved with are part of who we are, but they are not who we are! – this topic alone should be a blog post xD.

– We are also fragile. We are conscious and afraid of our weaknesses. That makes us willing to let go of our uniqueness for safety. There is strength in numbers!! That is how we survived against predators much faster and stronger than us. That is how we were able to hunt animals 10+ times our size! It is amazing what we can accomplish if we stick together! To do so, we need to “simplify ourselves to what we have in common” – what we will stand for as a group – otherwise, it is overly complicated to stick together.

The problem with simplifying things is that we might lose nuances or perspective… It is easy to self-censor and follow the group even if we disagree with a few things. We get pushback, and it is uncomfortable… maybe we feel that we might get rejected if we don’t fit in, so we adapt. – You need to be fairly assertive and courageous to go against the opinion of the majority…
But, if no one stands up against things they don’t agree with, there is a possibility (key word! Possibility) that the groups’ ideals transform (little by little) into something you don’t identify with anymore!

– Furthermore, thinking is hard. It takes energy, and it is painful. Being conscious of yourself and society hurts. You start doubting yourself and your beliefs… Wouldn’t it be easier to blindly believe that we are fighting for the right cause? – YES!

I feel like these two factors – “It’s hard to think” & “We are fragile” – play a significant role in our lives!

The Nazi regime had a lot of support in Germany, Austria and even Hungary… I believe people were frustrated, wanted a change, and considered their situation unfair. They needed to fight for better conditions! They probably saw the possibility of change if they supported the National Socialist German Workers’ Party – that Hitler was the leader of – and so they backed them up!

Humans gave up their opinions and judgements and became possessed by the Ideas that were pushed on them. Fear propaganda was created to make the population think with their hearts instead of their head. When we are stressed/pressured/we fear something, it’s challenging to think straight. We become overly sensitive and put the way we feel first as decision-makers.

– Greed can only take you so far… It can only convince the part of the population that has a propensity for it. Fear can reach everyone! And if you combine it with hope, it is super powerful…

The thought process was assumably like this: “I am frustrated with the position I am currently in, I am fearful of the greedy Jews & Ally Countries that are partly responsible for it, and I am hopeful that following this leader will bring a better life for me, for my family, and for my country!“. All of this is led by emotions, not by rational thought. Perfect if you want to control a population! ^^

Some people blindly followed no matter what – no second guesses (because thinking is hard). Others probably saw the group identity changing but were afraid to do something against it. A few tried to fight it and failed. – For example, general Miklós Horthy had good relationships with Hitler and the Nazi party, and afterwards actively tried to go against them because they went further than expected. (at least, this is my understanding and interpretation from what I read)

I think this same process occurred with the Soviet Union, and I see parts of it almost everywhere now. With the Trump supporters, the “Woke” activists, and all the left and right extremist movements that are growing in the west, increasing polarization…

It is scary… So many people are fearful:
– Fear of the greedy Jews;
– Fear of the savages that need to be educated (colonization excuse);
– Fear of the Nazis that need to be punished (the soviet excuse to oppress Hungary);
– Fear of the rich oppressors that will enslave you for their own profit;
– Fear of the climate changes that will destroy human life;
– Fear of the greedy capitalists that explore their workers;
– Fear of gay people that will spread HIV and other diseases throughout the world.
– Fear of Covid and the anti-vax savages (or anti-mask, or whatever)

And after this fear spreads through the population, what do they do? They unite against it! After all, strength in numbers! In the end, everyone is the hero! xD

– Fighting the Rich;
– The Fascists;
– The Communist;
– The Corrupt;
– The Neo-Liberals;
– The Capitalist;
– The Socialists;
– The Racists;
– The Woke, etc

But are we (heroes)?? Why are we so sure we are correct? That our group is correct? Is it because it follows our values? Because it follows our group values? Why do we defend those values? Do we understand them? Do we even question what we follow?? Just because I agree with a few things a group stands by, do I have to agree with everything? Or can I enjoy life coexisting with 2, 3, or 4 groups with conflicting opinions and views about almost everything and feel good about it?

There are many videos, documentaries and interviews about random people getting asked what they are protesting against or supporting, and they just contradict themselves. Clearly, they never really thought about the subject seriously… What is their Idea?

Is this the correct way forward? I see people discrediting other people’s opinions, refusing to listen because their opinion is “stupid”. Is this “moral superiority” any different from our mistakes of the past?

If 49% of the population votes for Trump or Bolsonaro, that does not mean 49% of the population of the USA or Brazil are retarded, and their opinion is not worth listening to. Same thing the other way around! If 51% vote for Biden or Lula, that does not mean they are naive people that know nothing about the world. It does not mean they are “just following the herd“.

I understand being fearful of the other side, independently of what that means. I understand having preconceptions about things. Everyone has! I am guilty of all the things I describe. That is also what helps me comprehend them! And what is the best antidote to fear? I would argue it is knowledge.

You need to be willing to expose yourself to what you fear. Understand it, and after you do, it is not your sentimental part that controls your actions, it is your rational part. We need to burst that bubble we are sheltered on to understand what you oppose! – It is the same with fear of heights or any other fear.
When you meet the humans you fight against, they are “normal” people… They will eat, take a shit and feel social anxiety just like you do. But they are also possessed by their Ideology, fueled by their fear of the other side.
Same way as you and I are probably possessed by some other different set of Ideas… It is part of our human condition.

The House of Terror in Budapest really made me think…
And brought some apprehension, as you can read. Excluding situations in my personal sphere, I have not been this taken aback by something since Auschwitz, 3/4 years ago.
At the time, I was shocked by what I saw. I had a good idea of the human being already, but it was something I could not fully digest yet. Now I am more aware of how we behave, our flaws and strengths, what we are “capable of”…

While walking through the exhibition, it was easy for me to imagine how everything happened. This “evil” (or so we define it) that each of us is capable of is the stuff of nightmares. Being conscious and self-aware means we know what could make us suffer, so if we do that to others, that will make them suffer!
Knowing how “dangerous” we can be and choosing to be kind is incredible!! I admire the people that do that.

The House of Terror displays in a very crude way how far we are willing to go when possessed with an Idea or just with our willful blindness – the answer is: as far as it takes.

Humans willing to punish others, the powerlessness of the Hungarians occupied by the Soviets, unable to rebel (they tried and failed), getting massacred and seeing their living conditions worsen gradually… Hundreds of thousands were forced into exile. More than 100 thousand imprisoned, Tens of thousands were sent to forced labour camps, and Thousands were executed. The different torture chambers, each designed to break your spirit into pieces… And if that does not kill you, your keepers will after you are not needed.
It is… something. And yet, if I was there (on the Hungarian or soviet side), I would have probably done the same thing. This capacity for humans to adapt is something…

Makes me think about what world I envision… How can we prevent this from happening again? – I personally like the answer that humanity found! We are walking in the right direction, so the next question is: How can I help humanity improve? People spreading propaganda, possessed by an Ideal, or with a propensity for totalitarian behaviour will always exist. And I think the best weapon against it is education… Let us learn and teach others to think critically, expose ourselves to our fears, conquer them, and have a better perspective of what surrounds us. Let’s explore the fact that we are dangerous, but we can control it.
Let’s make this infinite game we are bound to play as good as possible. Something fair, peaceful and challenging that everyone wants to play and strive to be better at it!

In his famous quote, Mark Twain says: “History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.” – he didn’t actually say this, but it is close enough. xD
It’s helpful for us to comprehend our past and how/why it happened. Let us use that information to ensure a better future and avoid making the same mistakes of the past!

And that is the post.
I rambled a lot. Maybe it was not the most coherent. I struggled to put all the ideas together, and it took me 2 months to write it with all the uncertainty and interruptions I did throughout the process…

I hope it was interesting enough for you to read until the end. Above everything else, this is me trying to comprehend all these complex interactions and relating them to the world I live in…
I would love to discuss this if you have some comments or input, so feel free to write a comment or reach out to me!

Thank you for reading, and I will see you at the next one!

Ricardo Ribeiro

I am a relaxed curious young man! I love Nature and new Adventures! I always want to Learn more and Teach what I know to the world! I hope I can share my passions with the world with this blog!! <3