Image from literaturemini |
‘Ozymandias’ is one of Shelley’s
popular poems though it is not a typical poem of his. It presents a mighty
ruler of some “antique land.” Ozymandias is his name and his statue, which is
now in ruins, can still be seen in the desert sands. “Two vast and trunkless
legs of stone” stand erect on a pedestal while the head lies in the sand
wearing a sneering frown on the wrinkled lips. On the pedestal is the
inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my works… and
despair.” But all his might now lies in utter decay. He is nothing but a “colossal
wreck.”
All
conquerors, however mighty and contemptuous of others, will fall to dust one
day. Even their conquests won’t be remembered. What the world wants are not
conquerors but redeemers. That is why Ozymandias and his type are destined to
lie broken in some distant sands of forsaken history.
What Russia
is doing to Ukraine is yet another inhuman deed through which Putin seems to cock
a snook at the world with the same attitude of Ozymandias, “Look on my works
and despair.” Every war is a subhuman assault on human civilisation. Every war
takes humankind back to the ages of savagery. If we can’t find peaceful
solutions to problems, if we can’t find solutions without killing innocent
people and destroying their houses and other buildings, we need to “despair” indeed
– but not by looking on the might of the warmongers. We despair about our own
savagery.
I’m not
forgetting history, however. Today the US of America is pretending to be a
great moralist admonishing Russia for its savagery. Let us not forget what
America did in that region earlier. In 2004, American Intelligence toppled the Ukrainian
government just because it was pro-Russia and set up a pro-US regime. Russia
was powerless against the might of the US in those days. USA had played many
political games in that region earlier too. There are many Russians living in
Ukraine. Ukraine has an umbilical cord connection with Russia. America was
using Ukrainian president Zelensky to cut that cord for its own selfish
purposes. What America did in Ukraine is similar to what China is doing and
planning to do in Nepal against Indian interests.
Politics is
irredeemable, I understand. Wars are integral parts of that lack of redeemability.
And so we the ordinary mortals who dream of a better world are condemned to get
more and more Ozymandiases.
'Democracies' are the keyholes of the west, that gives them control over a democratic governments to align with their interests. I seriously worry about the little nation of Taiwan now, after the catastrophic failure of the US in Iraq, Afghan and Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteYour concern is valid and China might follow Russia. With all its drawback, democracy is the best form of government. India is also fast losing that democracy.
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