The Power (and Horror) of One

Here in the United States of Individualism we are taught that one person can make a difference. No matter who you are, you too, can stop the tank in the square, effect the next social justice movement or at least become a YouTube influencer.

The inspirational icons of change are many in our nation: Dr. Martin King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Harriet Tubman, Colin Kaepernick and even, my god!, Donald what's-his-name.

The proviso to all of this idealism is not only the uniqueness of the person, but the singularity of the moment. An aggressive public relations firm helps, too, along with millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook.

An icon can inspire others to act, but not always in a way that is particularly useful. The sword of one difference maker is indeed double-edged. When Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich scrawled his Contract with America, really just a Trojan Horse for yet another Republican anti-government scree, one could make the argument that he might have motivated domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh to kill 168 people (including 19 children) by bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995.

When Donald what's-his-name perpetuated his big lie of a rigged presidential election last year was there really any doubt that he lit the fuse that led to the bloody January 6^th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in which five people lost their lives?

His sorry legacy lived on this month when an individual attempted to breach the enhanced security at the Capitol and, instead, killed William Evans, a Capitol police officer and a father of two children.

And who knows how many attacks on Asian Americans were, and will be, inspired by the former president's use of the insensitive phrase "China virus" to describe coronavirus?

Internationally, the examples of mediocre individuals that wreak havoc on the millions of hapless citizens they are supposed to protect are almost too many to list. Natural born killers like Bashar Hafez al-Assad to Mohammed bin Salman, to incompetent, but still dangerous, clowns like Boris Johnson and Jair Bolsonaro, bring to mind one of my favorite observations by writer and world traveler Paul Theroux: "Politicians are always inferior to their citizens. No one is well governed."

One of those citizens, an icon of non-violent dissent who has courageously and consistently exposed the blatant corruption in his native country is Alexei Navalny. The Russian opposition leader was poisoned in Siberia with the nerve agent Novichok allegedly (wink, wink) at the behest of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny miraculously survived after being medevacked to Berlin's Charite' Hospital

Navalny could have taken the easy way out by safely opposing Putin from Germany and never returning to his homeland, but he chose country over self. Despite the very real risk to his life, he returned to Russia. Navalny said, "The question of returning or not was never before me"I am not afraid."

Upon his arrival in Moscow, Navalny was quickly arrested, convicted of the usual trumped-up charges that Putin employs in Russia's corrupt "justice" system and is now on a hunger strike in Penal Colony No 2 in the aptly named Vladimir region of Russia. His health before the hunger strike was in peril because of the poisoning, and the constant harassment and sleep deprivation at the penal colony has only made it deteriorate further.

I hope I am wrong, but I doubt he will survive the imprisonment. What I have no doubt about is that Putin will get away with Navalny's demise as he always has during his brutal reign. Nothing happened when Putin murdered the late Alexander Litvinenko also by poison. And note the lack of any consequences when Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi. In the blood-stained hands of these autocrats, the world is a cold and violent place where money and might almost always triumph over decency.

As for Vladimir Putin, the one person solely responsible for this horror, a man who is an inspiration to those nationalists who long for the return of a relevant and mighty Soviet Union, he will continue to eat well and get plenty of sleep and remain in power for as long as he wishes.

Here is the perfect, or imperfect, illustration of how one individual, Navalny, can spark a social movement by poking at the shell of one insecure man, Putin. Both are inspirational icons, but on the opposite sides of justice.

Back in the U.S., when he's not ripping off donors and dodging lawsuits, the former president enjoys a daily round of golf at his Florida estate, is protected by the Secret Service and is paid hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money per year for a job poorly done. After four long years and two impeachments, he left our nation weakened, sickened, unemployed and more divided than ever.

Yet he remains the most influential member of the Republican party and is considering running for president again in 2024.

Why not? In politics, one man's mediocrity has never been a deal breaker.

END

Stephen J. Lyons is the author of four books of essays and journalism. His forthcoming book "West of East" will be published by Finishing Line Press.

(Article changed on Apr 25, 2021 at 12:08 PM EDT)