Not Always

Given current affairs, especially with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, I’ve seen this quote circulating a lot:

There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Sadly, it simply isn’t true.

Two quick examples of long lived tyrant murders include, Joseph Stalin, dead at 74 of a stroke while in power. Kim Jong-Il died at age 69 of a heart attack while in power. And it’s not just in the past. Many are still going to this very day.

From this article: Kim Jong-Il’s Natural Death Typical for Dictators, “The death by natural causes of Kim Jong-Il highlights a possibly unpleasant truth about repressive dictators: Many, if not most, end up living long lives and dying peacefully. Those who live by the sword don’t necessarily die by it, according to “The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: The Definitive Chronicle of History’s 100 Worst Atrocities” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2011). In it, Matthew White tracked the fates of the leaders most responsible for the 100-deadliest human events. A majority, he found, lived out their natural life spans in peace. “About 60 percent of the individual oppressors and warmongers who were most responsible for each of these multicides lived happily ever after,” White wrote.“

I mention this, not to despair. I say it, because I don’t think there is any magical guarantee that the right thing is going to happen.

And this situation with Putin, is so very dangerous. Except for the cold war, (which is only decades old), the world has never had circumstances like they have today. This one man has in his power, the ability to start a civilization ending (if not humanity ending) world war. The only thing that consoles me is that his avarice appears to outstrip his ideology. That is to say, it is my hope that his greed and personal vanity keep him in check over his political views that the old dead ghost of the USSR must rise and stand over the ashes of the west.

But, I also wonder at what could get him removed from power. If, somehow, the censor blinded populace wakes up, grown weary from sanctions and oppressive rule, and march to the doors of the Kremlin, torches in hand, I highly suspect that Putin would push the button before being drug out into the streets. This one man could end us all.

We shouldn’t pretend that history is template of what is to come.