: “To live without hope is to cease to live. Men have been subdued and conquered only because they have allowed themselves to be. But if they had only resisted a little while longer … Why, man’s grandfather was an ape!” This famous quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky has been much debated since its inception. What did the Russian author mean when he said this? And what relevance does it have in today’s world?
Some say that Dostoevsky was simply bemoaning the state of mankind and our lowly origins. Others believe that the quote is a call to arms, urging each person to resist oppression and fight for their freedom. No matter how you interpret the words, there is no denying that they carry a lot of weight. And in today’s world, there are few places where this quote rings more true than in Russia.
For years now, Russia has been involved in a protracted conflict with Ukraine. The fighting began in 2014 when Russia-backed rebels seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Since then, the conflict has escalated, with both sides exchanging fire on a regular basis. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced.
Throughout all of this, the Russian government has remained tight-lipped about its involvement in the conflict. They continue to deny that they are providing any assistance to the rebels, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This blatant disregard for the truth is reminiscent of George Orwell’s “1984,” where the government controls everything and lies are commonplace.
What makes this situation even more tragic is that the Russian people seem to be buying into these lies. A recent poll showed that nearly 70% of Russians believe that their country is not involved in the conflict at all. This disconnect between reality and perception is truly alarming, and it shows just how effective the Russian government’s propaganda machine really is.
It’s easy to feel hopeless when faced with a situation like this. The Russian government appears to be lying about its involvement in the conflict, and the majority of people seem content to believe those lies. But as Dostoevsky said, we mustn’t give up hope. We must continue to fight for what we believe in, even when things seem hopeless. Only then can we hope to see change in Russia—and in the world as a whole.