My heart sank this week when I read about the death of Alexei Navalny. Almost instantaneously I thought, “This was no accidental death. This was another murder orchestrated by Vladmir Putin.” Putin does not care that we know he is behind this death; he is sending a message to the people of Russia, “Don’t even think about speaking out against the Kremlin.” Don’t even think about it. Yes, even the few that gathered to place flowers in honor of Navalny after news of his death spread were arrested.
Putin and his operatives had already tried to kill Navalny back in 2020 with poison; Navalny miraculously survived with the help of a dedicated team of German doctors. Most of us might have used that attempt on our life and the survival to decide that we would not return to Russia. Too dangerous. It wasn’t that Navalny did not recognize the danger—the deadly danger—he certainly did. But he made the choice to return to Russia, to set an example for others. To not let Putin cower or control him. Of course, he was immediately arrested and put in prison and then later moved to the brutal prison and harsh conditions at the Arctic Circle where he died.
The reality is that it was not only Putin who killed Navalny. It was not only Putin and his group of corrupt cronies. It was every person who did not speak up and fight against the corruption that Navalny identified in the Russian government. It is not an easy thing to speak up when you know it is a death sentence. I am not sure I would have such courage. In fact, I doubt I would. It makes me sad but I doubt I would have that kind of courage.
A documentary film about Navalny was made in 2022; it won an Academy Award. If you haven’t seen it, it is definitely a film worth watching. Not an easy film to watch but one that is important.
At the end of the film, when Navalny is asked by the filmmaker what he hoped we would remember and do even if he were killed, Navalny, after a brief pause, says this:
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive.
Maybe this is what it means to have courage. To do something. To act. To speak up. To vote. To tell the truth. To not let fear rule us. We cannot save Alexei Navalny. We probably never could when faced with a monster like Putin.
But we can do something right now here in our own country. We can have at least a little courage to do something. This is the time when we are called to act. We have our own monster and his name is Donald Trump. This is our chance to stand against him in order to save our country, our democracy.
We are called to conquer our fear. Before it is too late. It has been horrifying to me to watch the majority of the Republican Party bow to the lies that Trump continues to spread. Lies that Donald Trump won the election against President Joe Biden. He absolutely did not. Lies like there was no insurrection. Lies like January 6th was just a peaceful protest. Really? Do you wonder how anyone can say that? I will never forget watching on television as the mob stormed the Capitol, as they shouted for Mike Pence to be hanged, as they denigrated the Capitol. And then…and then many in Congress decided to just turn away from the truth. It is hard to find courage in that group who allows themselves to be controlled and cowered by Donald Trump. A monster who has expressed his admiration for another monster—Putin—and who is not shy about saying how much he hopes to follow in his footsteps. Is it greed? Lust for power? Fear? Only they can say—and sadly, they aren’t saying anything at all. But staying silent is as despicable as boldly lying.
I may not have much courage but I refuse to pretend that Donald Trump is a hero. After initial silence, he rants on television that Navalny died because of Joe Biden. Lies. Lies. Lies.
I have pondered about heroes. Who were my childhood heroes? When I was very young I think Dale Evans was in my hero column. Later I would admire President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Both were assassinated as often happens to heroes. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Fred Rogers, Marian Wright Edelman, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, poets. All people trying to do good in the arena where they live and work and have their being. Of course, as an Episcopal priest I would definitely add Jesus to my list.
Heroes are people who fight the darkness. Heroes are people who find a way to love even in the face of hate. I recently read Otis Moss III’s book Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times. He writes:
Evil always seeks to obscure the light because once it has you living in darkness, that which should not be painful becomes so….Unless we have better guidance, our eyes go to the shadows, and as we peer into darkness and worry what may jump out, the shadows can be all we see.
I don’t want to see evil around every corner. I may not have the courage of Navalny but I hope I have enough courage to do the right thing when I am faced with a choice, to tell the truth when others are comfortable telling lies, to stand for justice when I am called to stand. Even if that standing is only to cast my vote while we still have free and fair elections. I do not want to see my anger at injustice become hatred for those who are comfortable living in darkness.
At the end of his book, Otis Moss III shares part of a letter he wrote to his teenage son Elijah:
Never let your anger become unchecked rage, scratching at the lining of your heart. I tell you often, you are loved and designed with purpose and immeasurable potential. You carry a lineage of women who refused to bow and men who dared to live. Never forget who you are and the legacy you hold. The world we live in will attempt to steal your essence and drain away every ounce of your beautiful life from your soul.
I hope Alexei Navalny did not allow the darkness and evil of the world scratch at the lining of his heart. I hope he knew, even at the time of his death, that no one could touch his beautiful soul.
You have written the absolute truth, Jeanne. I would not have had the courage to return to Russia. I wish he hadn't. I wish he had battled from the outside. But it was his courageous decision to return to a slow death. I wish we had a Alexei Navalny in the US who could put fire in the hearts of all of us who recognize the evil in Donald Trump. Make us swarm the streets with banners and signs in opposition to his candidacy. Who knows. Maybe we will.
Thank you Jeanne for your wisdom and fortitude. We live in such potentially dark and unsettling times. Here is a quote that helps and steadies me by Martin Luther:
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”