A Moral Deficit

By Volodymyr Kish

It is not news to most of you that Ukrainian politics has sunk into a moral abyss. The country is ruled by a corrupt elite of self-serving oligarchs and leeches whose primary aim is to enrich themselves as rapidly as possible with little care for the country itself or its exploited citizenry. The economy is in shambles, the justice system has fallen into complete disrepute, and the government of the country has become a farce, all the while that the President and his family and friends are siphoning billions from the national coffers and indulging in a hedonistic binge that would put Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to shame. At the same time, a fractured opposition is more pre-occupied with in-fighting, power politics and feeding egos than in fighting the common foe.

Morality and ethics came close to dying in Eastern Europe during the Communist era, but their rejuvenation over the past decades since the fall of the Soviet Union has regrettably fallen tragically short of expectations. To say that the majority of the population is disillusioned and frustrated would be an understatement. Life in Ukraine has become a Darwinian struggle for personal economic survival, and the future is looking bleak indeed. Even that traditional bastion of Ukrainian hopes, the Church, has been of little comfort, as the four major confessions, three Orthodox and one Catholic, are engaged in their own bitter struggle for the soul of the nation.

It used to be that here in the “Western” World, we could claim some moral high ground in mankind’s continual striving towards achieving a more just and equitable society. Sadly, the past few decades have provided some disturbing indications in that we too may be heading in the wrong direction. In this, the United States as the world’s strongest country and self proclaimed “moral” leader of the Free World, has stumbled badly. Greed has become the driving force and the cornerstone of the American ethos. The American political system now revolves primarily around money, rather than principles or rights.

If you are poor, you will feel the full weight of law and order. If you are rich, you can get away with anything. If you are a disadvantaged Black or Latino and indulge in petty theft, you will do hard time. If you are a Wall Street banker or financier and you steal or defraud hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars and ruin the lives of millions of people, you will only get slapped on the wrist, pay a small fine relative to your wealth, you will do no time but still keep your job, and be rewarded with million dollar bonuses. In America, the right to own automatic weapons whose sole purpose is to kill people rapidly and in large numbers is viewed as more important than the right to safety of peaceful citizens, including innocent children. In America, health care is not a right, but the privilege of the rich and well to do. Sadly, success is measured in terms of dollars and not in terms of justice, freedom, humanity, equity and social well-being.

Of course, it is easy to find fault with what is going on in American society. Yet, as Canadians we cannot afford to be self-righteous either. We are increasingly heading down the same path. Our per capita debt is approaching dangerous levels as we indulge in ever more hedonistic consumerism. We can all afford to buy the latest big screen TV, iPad, car, name-brand clothes, running shoes, wine and million dollar condos, but there is no money towards paying our fair share of taxes so that we can address the big issues of poverty, homelessness, an ageing infrastructure, inadequate public transportation systems, global warming, pollution, comprehensive health care, aboriginal grievances, unemployment, etc. Somehow, the gen-X, gen-Y and gen-whatever generations have become increasingly absorbed by their own self-gratification and oblivious to the needs of building strong and stable societies.

What happened to the young generations of the Sixties and Seventies whose energy and idealism led a social revolution dedicated to peace, equality, love and social justice? Today, very little of that energy and idealism remains, with most young people more concerned with getting that high income job so they can indulge in their consumerist fantasies.

Somehow we need once again to find our moral centre and realize that for countries and societies to be stable and successful in the long run, the social contract between all their citizens and their government must be based not on dollars and cents, but on solid principles of morality and concern for humanity. We need to look after each other and not just ourselves. Societies are based on individuals caring for and working together towards common causes, and not just a collection of individuals only concerned for their own well-being.