Who is killing who, and why?

Putin claims that he is invading Ukraine because the Ukrainians are Nazi’s who are persecuting ethnic Russians living in Ukraine.  He also claims that he has to strike at Ukraine because Ukraine is joining NATO’s effort in encircling Russia, that Western countries led by USA is threatening the survival of Russia.  Many Chinese are supporting Putin, admiring the strongman, applauding him for striking at the Western countries to make his country “great again”.

That sounds familiar.  Because it has happened before. 

In September 1939, approximately 83 years ago, Hitler’s Germany invaded Poland, kicking off the Second World War.  What was Hitler’s pretence?  It was that Poland was persecuting ethnic Germans living in Poland.  That Poland was planning, with its allies Britain and France, to encircle and dismember Germany.  Historians generally believed that both were false.  Evidently Hitler did not care.  It was just a pretence.  His real motive was power. 

Why does that sound so familiar?  Because it has happened, again and again.  

Strongmen are obviously obsessed with power.  But why are people seemingly separated by a great distance, with little obvious link to the strongman, so easily seduced by the aura of power?  Surely, they do feel the need to pay lip service in acknowledging the plight of those who suffer in the war.  Even to the extent of saying “I am absolutely against war.” But in the next breath they go on to say “I will go to war when I have to.”  Just like the strongman, they mean.  Sad, and scary, isn’t it?  

Why is that for so many, power always trumps compassion?  God has mercy on us.