Life is like a game of chess- one bad move can ruin forty good ones.
Joined February 2022
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Collective responsibility cannot be imposed- it can only be accepted, and not instantly, but through a long process. One can only hope that one day Russian society will understand what has been done in its name and will accept collective responsibility for it.
20/20
many live as though under a mythical siege by the West. The period of realization, if it ever comes, will be long, painful, and sticky.👇
19/20
The reflection of collective responsibility is linked with repentance, apologies, and the acknowledgment of unjustifiable acts.
Russian society today feels offended by an imagined harm done to their country, by a fabricated historical injustice;👇
18/20
Recognition of what the state and its representatives have done in the name of the people, recognition of how, to what extent, when, and where you yourself participated, remained silent, approved, or once again- stayed silent.👇
17/20
wish to engage with uncomfortable truths.
The question of collective responsibility is, above all, one of reflection, rethinking, and reevaluation of one’s place within the system, the situation, and the circumstances- a matter of acknowledgment and recognition.👇
16/20
enough. That is merely a form of collective shame, a kind of helplessness- when you feel you can do nothing, yet your identity ties you to your circumstances. Simply feeling bad and doing nothing is not an option; indeed, it may be the easiest choice for those who do not👇
15/20
Yet it does make sense to speak of the collective responsibility of citizens, and of what it would mean for a people to accept such responsibility.
Some say they feel very ashamed- but, unfortunately, shame for one’s government or for the people who make decisions is not👇
14/20
from failing to notice what is happening.
Likewise, no collective responsibility is possible without political responsibility at the state level- in the form of public apologies made on behalf of the state, reparations, and, of course, punishment of those truly guilty.👇
13/20
necessary to reflect on one’s attitude toward the shameful deeds committed in the name of that homeland. Collective responsibility arises from belonging to a political community- from being part of it in the present moment, from observing what is being done in its name, and
12/20
and history- to deprive them of all control. Yet even in such cases, the concept of collective responsibility retains meaning.
Just as it makes sense for many people to be proud of their homeland, even if they haven’t directly contributed to its achievements, it’s equally👇
11/20
radical refusal to live in a world where such things happen. Responsibility requires awareness- a sense that you are the master of your own life and decisions. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, on the other hand, seek to make people hostages of circumstances, power,👇
10/20
in a given situation, even if they did not elect the warring government, do not support it, and do not feel represented by it.
Resistance to evil- for example, to crimes against humanity committed by one’s fellow citizens- does not arise from a sense of guilt but from a 👇
9/20
for instance through sanctions. This indicates that even those who did not commit crimes bear responsibility for what is done in their name. And that is precisely responsibility without guilt- because anyone can take responsibility, even if they are personally innocent👇
8/20
before us. At the same time, by taking responsibility for what happens around us, we create and affirm our connection with our fellow citizens. Of course, responsibility is also collective or political in the sense that it can be imposed on one state by another,👇
7/20
a legal perspective, where we clearly understand that there can be no responsibility without guilt.
So, what is collective responsibility?
A political community, like a state, is built on continuity- confirmed by our willingness to take responsibility for what was done👇
6/20
Accusing a group deprives us of all this clarity and leaves us with no meaningful relation to what was done. If we recognize that collective guilt doesn’t exist, does the concept of collective responsibility still make sense? It does- if we look at responsibility not from.👇
5/20