Strength in Reflection

“…the entire congregation of obedient fools” — Professor Valery Legasov

I don’t watch much TV, but HBO’s Chernobyl series stopped me in my tracks. In one scene, Valery Legasov—the scientist appointed to investigate the 1986 nuclear disaster—tries to encourage Boris Shcherbina, who’s dying from radiation exposure. Legasov is talking about the Kremlin powers, how they mishandled the catastrophe that killed thousands.

I hit pause, rewound, and listened again. Then wrote it down. I’ve reflected on it constantly since.

The quote is brilliant because it captures what we’ve become: a society fed half-truths who believe half-truths. We don’t know who to listen to or who to believe anymore. And let’s be honest—we’ve all been members of this “congregation of obedient fools” at some point.

When the Powerful Wage War

I remember being 17, seconded to the army, brainwashed to believe we were fighting the “Red Danger”—communism. Innocent lives considered a worthy price. As Jean-Paul Sartre wrote: “When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who suffer.”

But it’s not just the military. We find lies and half-truths propagated by governments, media, churches, and businesses. Constant messages urging us to comply, to fit in, to belong. We’re discouraged from questioning or voicing opinions for fear of being labeled disruptors.

This is especially prevalent in institutionalized religion. Look at Martin Luther—he transformed Christianity, yet the church wanted him dead. You might think that was 500 years ago, ancient history. Don’t believe it. False prophets still peddle their wares, stealing from the poor to enrich themselves.

Governments are equally guilty. Politicians are masters at spinning webs of broken promises and lies.

Who’s Really to Blame?

It’s complicated, but honestly? We are. You and me. Our problem is what Scott Peck calls “simplistic thinking.” We’re lazy, so we take the easy way out. Instead of wrestling with truth—real truth—we go along with the crowd.

Except groupthink isn’t necessarily right. We know this. Apartheid proved it.

If we’re part of the problem, how do we change? How do we start thinking like emotionally intelligent, rational human beings? It’s not simple. We’ve conditioned ourselves to avoid this freedom, going along with crowds because we’re afraid of not fitting in, of being ostracized.

It’s a real possibility. But I’d rather spend my life with fewer people than be part of “an entire congregation of obedient fools.”

The Cost of Truth

Boris Shcherbina died a few years after Chernobyl. Cause of death? Unknown—the Soviets passed a decree in 1988 preventing doctors from citing radiation as cause of death or illness.

Professor Valery Legasov committed suicide on April 27, 1988—one day after the second anniversary of the disaster, one day before he was due to announce his investigation results.

Unfortunately, Chernobyl is just one example. There are many more stories, some far more damaging to humanity and our planet. But they all share something: the silencing of truth-tellers.

The question remains: Will we keep being obedient fools, or will we find the courage to think for ourselves?