An Anthroposophic Perspective and Vision of the Future
As we rightly focus on the war in Ukraine and the suffering and casualties of its people, are we being distracted from the bigger war taking place against ourselves and all of humanity
Philosopher and cultural historian Harrie Salman, author of the book The Social World as Mystery Center and The Great Reset and its Health Dictatorship, will guide us through some thoughts on the outbreak of war in Eastern Europe; the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. After two years of war against the Coronavirus, we’re now confronted with new threats to the future of humanity. In this webinar, Mr. Salman will give a background story of Ukraine, the role of Western powers in creating the present situation, the mindset of Vladimir Putin, the political and economic consequences of the war, and some anthroposophical points of view concerning Germany and Russia.
Hi, My name is Oksana and I am a Russian speaking Ukrainian, born in Donetsk, living in the US. I have some connection and understanding on Anthroposophy and was curious to listen to this presentation. I found the presenter lacking a real knowledge and care of Ukraine and it’s history especially in the last 100 years, and 30 years of its independence. Russian speaking east of Ukraine was artificially created during USSR through the famine and through relocation of the Russians to work in the coal mines in the Donbas. Ukrainian territory at some point was stretch to the parts of Russia. To call Crimea a gift to Ukraine by Khrushchev is not accurate. Regardless of how one calls it, Crimea is a part of Ukraine since its independence in 1991 and a home of Ukrainians as well as Crimea Tatars. There are some nationalist groups in Ukraine, there are no nationalist political parties in Ukrainian Parliament right now. It was no Russian activist in Donetsk in 2014, it was many Russians who came/were sent to Donetsk to create the chaos. People who want to be with Russia are the one who think about the past lost USSR, but there are many in the occupied Donetsk that keep Ukraine in their hearts and do not want to be part of Russia, but could not leave. There are many Russian speaking and even Russian born who feel absolutely Ukrainians. Please, do not use THE before UKRAINE. It is the same as you would say Germany, America, France and so on.
Actually You are very biased. And just because You are from ( and when do You left Ukraine for USA?? ) the Lands called Ukraine, does not give You more insight either in History or even social dynamics on a non-Ukrainian parts as Crimea, Odessa or even the realm of Don Cossaks. All the best from Germany ( Привет!!!!)
It is strange that you accuse Oksana of being biased, but you do not prove it. This is a pity for the style of discourse here.
What Oksana says is pretty much what is known here in Germany about Ukraine. It should be added, however, that neither Russia nor Ukraine have implemented, i.e. fulfilled, their obligations under the Minsk Agreement. Important parts of responsibility for this terrible war lies on all sides involved, including the U.S. and NATO-States after the Berlin wall was tared down. The clash of western &eastern blocks are back again. It’s about dividing the center, weakening it, to secure own dominance (US RuChi). Nevertheless, this does not give Putin the right to invade Ukraine, to murder cruelly and to raze cities to the ground.
After all this, it will be even harder to rebuild bridges and humanity. But even more necessary.
You are also biased to Ukraine. For example: “neither Russia nor Ukraine have implemented, i.e. fulfilled, their obligations under the Minsk Agreement.” No, Russia does not have obligations form MA because is not “a side” of the agreement, but “a witness” or “guarantee”. Sides are Ukraine and the new republics.
Another example: “this does not give Putin the right to invade Ukraine, to murder cruelly and to raze cities to the ground.” 1. Putin invaded legally by international law, as the new republics aked for help, because 8 year Ukraine was killing people ( is 14000 killed few or much????) in the republics. Did you not noticed in Germany that deads? 2. The way Russians wage war is very different form how West waged wars in Serbia, Irak, Lybia etc. War is always bad, but this is noticable and we must distinguish and measure by a fair measure. As Jesus said: by fruits you shall know them.
I agree with you that it is clash of West and East as it goes on for thousands years…
Thank-you for this reply Oksana…….among perspectives I have not been able to discover how Zelensky is viewed from within Ukraine….his fortitude, and ‘stepping up to the plate’ as Prime Minister, is quite awe inspiring. Yet as always there are mutterings and underminings…..which I on the whole do not give much credence to. But maybe……how do we in the west know? And then it would depend on personal view too……in England some people are for Boris!
I am watching the comedy Zelensky wrote/starred that launched his political career…….Servant of the People……and really enjoying it. Hard to think that it might all be a put up job…how cynical must we be?
Any insight on that would be welcome…
https://youtu.be/8rQDMLwi8As?t=536
Thank you for your initiative and for your striving towards a balanced perspective.
Thank you for a very thorough and interesting talk about the situation in Ukraine. Some comments: In the part about many Ukrainians welcoming the Nazis as possible saviors of Ukraine from the Russian yoke during WWII, there was also a price paid as some became collaborators with the German Nazis in the Holocaust by Bullets where 1.5 million Jews were killed in the Ukraine.On the outskirts of Kiev, Babi Yar, 30,000 people shot in the course of 2 days; Odessa, 30,000 burned alive in an ammunition warehouse because there were too many to shoot. This is also part of Ukrainian history and must not be forgotten. As far as I have understood many Russians were sent to Eastern Ukraine from Russia after the Holomodor ( spelling?) famine to repopulate the Eastern part of the country. Do you have any idea what the Z stands for on the tanks and uniforms of the Russian army? Recently in some media Zelensky’s assets have been revealed to about 580 million dollars which I would guess puts him himself in the oligarchy class? ( although he is demonstrating exceptional bravery and solidarity with his Ukrainian countrymen now in the war). If the Palladium will be brought to Kiev sometime in the future and it may become the heartland of the 6th epoch of brotherly love, is this not also a Slavic mission in general, not just a Russian mission? Tragically the country of Ukraine is a country which has been and is again drenched in blood and suffering. Your ending about where you think the etheric Christ might be today in the basements and with those suffering gave some hope in this very anguishing situation of the war in Ukraine. Thank you again for your talk!
Why not equally as hard on the West as on Putin and Russia? The manipulations of Russia in Ucraina are described but not the manipulations of the West there to the same extent. It is said that everyone was surprised when Russia actually went into Ucraina, not so, members of the military and others in the US have been saying for years that the West’s actions in Ucraina will force Russia to take such drastic and decisive action. Russia’s declared intentions are to protect the separated republics and ensure Ucraina’s neutrality in respect of a NATO or Russia alliance. I believe this because it is a sensible solution in that if Ucraina went to either side the other would challenge that severely. The description of Russia as the aggressor in the current conflict smacks to me too much of the ‘war guilt’ label that has been used before to mask the other sides machinations that pushed them into a corner and was bound to bring about, considering the people and situation involved, what did happen.
I applaud the call for research and sharing. In that spirit I send my remarks. We must understand why Russia did this, and we must understand why we, in Europe and America, turned her away from Europe. My own view is that if NATO disbanded when it should have, and America took it’s policies back to itself we in Europe and Russia would have grown closer. If you want to point fingers then I would look to that too.
Instead it might be the case that without a proper spiritual, social, and fraternal impulse from the west Russia has to be protected, else all we are going to give her is an insistance on transexual men in their ladies bathrooms – does she need or want that? Is it only her fault that only a Putin is around to be the protector at present? Communism was a western ‘social experiment’, how much damage has done in Russia? You don’t want her to act the victim? But you don’t want her to stand up and fight? You want her to be what we are not….?
Thank you very much for the presentation and the opportunity for further thought and discussion that it presents.
I agree.
The war cruelly demonstrates on the backs of the people of Ukraine the consequences of political, economic and cultural failures, mendacity, treaty violations, and the corrosive struggle of the two power blocs in the East and West. Assigning blame and fomenting mistrust are part of the repertoire of communicative legitimation of military armament, ultimately war. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has implemented the Minsk agreements. And the West has accepted this. George Kennan was not listened to https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1257094.shtml. The 10-point program of the CSCE follow-up conferences has already formulated everything that is currently necessary for a non-aligned European peace and security concept. So what is lacking?
There, an anti-democratic, despotic state capitalism that wants to enforce sociality by suppressing individual freedom; here, a neoliberal capitalism whose supposed freedom goes hand in hand with overexploitation and polarizing sociality. Despotism and monopolization increase here as well as there and are defended accordingly strategically and militarily as an instrument of power. After this terrible war, the necessary transformations will be all the more obvious. Rearmament will not solve anything, but on the contrary. Only confidence building, consideration and recognition will solve conflicts. We will not need victorious power blocs, but civil-responsible freedom, democratic and a fair eco-social economy to solve the dramatically accumulated tasks. All people can contribute to this by reflecting on what helps to overcome, on what is humanly possible and builds bridges. Mutual threat by high armament and following destruction – that belongs to the 20th century, not to the 21st century.
Hi,
Thank you for this very enlightening lecture.
Can we think that, in 1989 when the Berlin wall fell, Europe missed the opportunity to unite with RUSSIA.
Isn’t Europe’s function to represent the balance between East and West?
thank