Brothers Karamazov vs. Arrogance of Power.

Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, which obviously can't be reduced to a simple message, has these two fundamental insights, insights which are as relevant, as they are frequently overlooked.

1. Each of us is responsible for everyone and everything that goes on in the world.

2. Everything is interconnected: “For all is like an ocean, all flows and connects; touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world.”

These two observations are somehow more obvious to Russians -- with their sense of community, with the fact that the word "mir" refers both to Universe and to the village commune, thus stressing the unity of microcosm and macrocosm- than to the rather individualistic self-reliant western mind, with its stress on autonomy and separation.

The western mind, however, is as observant as any, and senses the interconnection and interdependence, even while failing to highlight it. We do talk about boomerang effect, or stress that "karma is a bitch" after all. From globalism, to Gaia principle, from climate issues to the threat of global nuclear anihilation, we, as stubborn children, are being taught the unity and mutual responsibility of all living. Great authors knew it (“don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee,” as John Donne had reminded us); Greek tragedy is based on it.

The failure to understand this unity is probably more related to the class issues than to the cultural ones. It is the rich and the powerful who imagine themselves as independent and detached. Poor always know that a decision made in Washington or St. Petersburg can directly impact their lives at any outskirt of any empire.

Here is a striking Russian example, striking in its Ancient Greek simplicity and symmetry. It highlights the arrogance of power, and the price that others pay for this arrogance.

Alexander III had a father and a son. Alexander II -- the father, killed by Russian terrorists in 1881, and Nicholas II -- the son, killed by Bolsheviks in 1918.

Russian Empire, for almost 150 years, didn't have death penalty. As opposed to blood thirsty west, by the way. But on rare occasions, related to the charge of "regicide," they would find a pretext to execute. Thus, they executed five Decembrists in 1826. During his life, Alexander III had signed only two sets of death sentences. One -- against the five terrorists who killed his father. Easily understood sentence. But then he pulled another one. Again, against another five, one of whom was a twenty one years old kid, named Alexander Ul'anov. This second group were just the University students, silly and idealistic. They were not a real threat, they were monitored by the police from the get go, their bomb, which they finally constructed couldn't explode, nor did the gun, found on one of them, could shoot. Yet, they were executed, in 1887, Alexander Ul'ianov -- the older brother of Vladimir Lenin— was killed a week after his twenty second birthday.

Interconnection and mutual guilt of this case is obvious. Lenin clearly dreamed of taking the revenge against the senseless murder of his older brother, executed shortly after the their father died, leaving the family with this double loss. And he did. With a vengeance. Killing Alexander III son and grandchildren, and everyone related to the family.

Do I try to excuse Lenin? Not really; let him deal with his own conscience. But Alexander III should have known better. Do you really need to execute and break all sorts of traditions and customs and expectations, just to look tough? Wouldn't a simple exile or prison sentence suffice? Isn't love, forgiveness, understanding, and mutual cooperation are stronger foundations for society's existence than violence, that generates more violence. Alas, the arrogance of power makes people delusional and blind to human inter-connectivity. Alexander III had a very powerful advisor, Pobedonostev, a conservative intellectual and politician, who was a good friend of Dostoevsky, with whom they discussed Brother K frequently. Couldn't Pobedonstev explain to Alexander the rudiments of the novel?

Arrogance of Power!

(attached are the pictures of Ul’ianov, Pobedonostsev, Alexander III, and Dostoevsky).