Analyzing the current situation in England, I felt some deep similarities with Ukrainian reality. Undoubtedly, the situations are totally different, but I found something similar in the behaviour of so-called 'ordinary people': they stopped to ask questions. In this case, I don't mean childish curiosity; it's more about our desire to contact other people and to understand their opinion. We simply don't need it anymore. Even our daily phrase 'How are you?' became an awkward chiché; it seems like we don't want to hear other people anymore.
In the process of constant discussions and arguments, we decided to avoid questions as something that makes us look weaker than our opponents. In this daily competition with other people, we got used to exclamation marks, which made our arguments more reckless. Apparently, this kind of behaviour can't solve our problems; it just leads us to new conflicts.
This problem is getting even worse in the digital era: our daily reading was replaced by daily posting on social media. In other words, thoughtful listening to other people was replaced by persistent expression of our own point of view. Young people might still be uncertain about their vision of the future, but exclamation marks help them to look more confident. 'Enough is enough', they say.
In Ukraine, millennials had a huge impact on the presidential elections. Their anger and desire to humiliate traditional elites led to chaos, which helped pro-Russian politicians to strengthen their positions inside the country. With the approaching parliamentary elections, we are getting closer to losing our independence or, at least, our European dream. Volodymyr Zelenskyi's party has unprecedented support and certainly will have the majority in the Parliament. At first sight, it is really difficult to understand how this 'light version' of classic pro-Russian parties became popular in all Ukrainian regions. Their cheap, populistic and, let's be honest, quite socialistic messages became an effective weapon because of our stubbornness and lack of communication inside the country. We don't want to listen to different points of view. We sincerely believe in our own faultlessness.
Most of Zelenskyi's supporters are struggling to explain their point of view. They don't ask any questions, they don't answer any questions. Their only aim is to break the so-called old system. Their main idea, despite being indistinct, can be illustrated with the words of the Russian version of the Internationale:
We will destroy this world of violence
Down to the foundations, and then
We will build our new world
They are ready for drastic measures. Without any communication or discussions, it may lead Ukraine to new conflicts. However, this story isn't about Ukraine. This story is about all of us. Why don't we listen to other people? Why don't we ask them questions? Why don't we cooperate with them?
Returning to Brexit and the 2016 United States presidential elections, most of the columnists write about 'divided society'. I won't pretend I know these situations well, but I feel there is something wrong with the communication inside both countries. The modern discourse is filled with unambiguous statements and pressure. Once again: it's not about the UK or the United States. It really looks like a worldwide tendency. We prefer to fight for our beliefs instead of listening to others and discussing our common problems. It would be great to pay attention to these wise words of the Dalai Lama: 'When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.'
Without a shadow of a doubt, our evolution is the result of constant communication and cooperation. Thereby, our anxious era threatens not only the future of particular groups; in the broader context, it threatens our progress as a seven-billion community.
Exclamation marks help us to build strong walls. Question marks give us a chance to build bridges.
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