The movement of time is swift. Life goes forward, leaving behind the years and accumulated experience. As if very recently the fatal explosions at the 4th block of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant have thundered, and now more than thirty years have passed since those tragic events. There are fewer witnesses of the Chernobyl disaster every year.
Time does not spare even those who then, back in 1986, managed to capture “the harmless minimum of radiation exposure.” They understand that all their lives they have to live under a constant “radiation hood”, that the so-called “diseases that come from nowhere” have a very specific address – the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
What do people know about this event of world significance? Until recently, apart from the laconic statements made in April – May 1986, nothing. This is little, extremely little for the people who have borne the brunt of the aftermath of the catastrophe.
At that time, the country, ignorant of the events taking place in Chernobyl, lived its usual life.
And, secretly from the society, there was a tense battle of man at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as it turned out – not at all with a peaceful atom. All the forces of the state, including economy, finance, industry, strategic resources and reserves, were used to solve the problems of eliminating the consequences of the disaster. The army, science, medicine, engineers and technical workers, specialists in various fields have tamed the radiation that erupts, like from a volcano, from the mouth of an exploding reactor.
For that, in fact, wartime, much was done. What has been done right and what hasn’t been done – many are now trying to judge. We will not compete with those who are for, nor with those who are against. Time is the fairest judge. Gradually, many facts and actions become apparent, it is only a pity that neither the bitterness of the loss of loved ones, nor a wound in the heart, nor broken fates – even time will heal.
Some who survived the Chernobyl disaster even today believe that it is not always necessary to know everything in great detail, which has been done in the interests of protecting the people from invisible danger. The panic among people, then they would find out the terrible numbers of real radiation pollution, could do a lot of harm, absorb people in chaos. Then it was necessary to quickly normalize the situation in the emergency zone.
Thus, it is perhaps unnecessarily “ostentatious”, but to prove to the whole world that the country is able to solve complex and unusual tasks quickly and in an organized manner. There was no similar catastrophe in the world, no one had any experience of actions, both international and domestic. People had to invent and do everything by themselves.
All information about the true situation in the disaster area was classified in order not to cause panic in the country and the world. It is difficult to say how this measure was justified, and not just forced. No one will undertake to assert that any other state would have acted in this situation any other way.
The incomprehensible thing has begun later
The incomprehensible thing happened with Chernobyl later, after the completion of the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster, when years and decades have passed, and no one said anything about the actions in Chernobyl. The government was silent, the press and television were silent, as if nothing had ever happened in Chernobyl.
The absence of a state assessment several years after the Chernobyl events discouraged Chernobyl victims. The sick and dying liquidators were not associated with radiation exposure resulting from the elimination of the consequences of the disaster.
The world knew more about the Chernobyl disaster than the people of our country, the international community was closely watching the liquidation work at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, admiring the courage and dedication of the liquidators.
To this day, the authorities of progressive countries carefully and with compassion respect for people burned by the fire of radiation – monuments are erected, memory books are published. What can we say: there is something to learn, because those for whom it needs to be done are still alive, alas, not many.
To endure is our mentality
The magnitude and consequences of the Chernobyl tragedy are striking not only the imagination of people, not so much by their grandiose parameters, but by their long-term nature. The consequences of the disaster are set for the future for hundreds and thousands of years, and they have made those who fought and suffered from radiation their eternal captives.
The magnitude of the Chernobyl disaster is measured not only by the loss of territories, natural objects and resources, not only by economic and financial damage, environmental disaster, but also by countless human casualties, suffering and grief of people. People were able to get used to and learn to live with such baggage of emotional, moral and deeply personal tragic shock.
Fortunately, the characteristic mentality, tempered by almost constant forced adaptation to one or another problem, deprivation and suffering, is probably inherent in us at the DNA level.
It is very important for the future to form the right attitude towards the Chernobyl events in society. It is necessary to clearly mark the moral position of the state and society towards the Chernobyl campaign, towards people who, at the cost of their lives, have shielded the world from radiation.
Once and for all, it is necessary to dispel the false attitude to Chernobyl generated by the highest party leadership of the USSR: the alleged disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is a shame for the country and its people. Therefore, the Chernobyl events and the people who participated in them must be forgotten.
Oblivion is in store for Chernobyl people
Decades have passed, and now, no one has any doubt that recalling the Chernobyl events, people should only talk about the courage and selflessness of the people who managed to localize the scale of the catastrophe and eliminate its consequences. Let the scientists and experts deal with the causes of the explosion of the power unit. This is their job. Our task is to pay tribute to those who have given their lives for the salvation of others.
It is sad to state, but the real attitude towards the Chernobyl victims today is their oblivion. In fact, those who are still alive are ready to do much today to attract the attention of the public to this grand event, which has imperceptibly but irrevocably changed the earthly world and people.
Perhaps, we can find answers to many questions that have plagued the country for decades in a detailed and impartial study of the history of Chernobyl. Maybe Chernobyl will help us all cope with the eternal problem of disrespectful attitude to a person, his life, and to his story as a whole.
Sometimes it seems that we are not able to learn from our own mistakes at the molecular level. We really need some kind of additional gene pool that will teach us, finally, to learn to respect not only the dead, but also the living.
Thanks to which, in the end, we will begin to perceive the surrounding reality not from the point of view of biological parasitism and the theory that man is the king and master of nature, but rather, since we are a highly intellectual creation of nature, we must think first of all about the consequences…
