There are two ways to organize human interaction. The first is the “horizontal” method — this is when two people agree to do something, for example, to exchange something with each other. Then others exchange, and a practice emerges. With practice, rules emerge. Contracts, clubs, voluntary contributions, arbitration — these are phenomena generated by the first type.
The second type is vertical. It is based on coercion. Took away a toy in the sandbox. Robbed. Created a gang. Laws, states, taxes, state courts — these are what the second type generates.
In the first type of relations, people are free; they conclude contracts and voluntarily join various practices. In the second, they execute orders from above.
Of course, these are ideal models, and in any society both types of relations exist. One can argue for a long time about their manifestation and interaction in families, clans, tribes, states, and corporations; however, it is absolutely certain that only the first type of relations is productive. The voluntariness underlying this type means that if a person does not receive the benefit they need from participating in a particular practice, they can move to another. All these practices and institutions exist only because they bring benefit to their participants.
The vertical system is based on appropriation of what belongs to others. Lower-ranking individuals surrender part of what they produce to those above them. The latter, as a rule, is a monopoly from which there is nowhere to escape. Even if it has some obligations to those below, they are arbitrary and fulfilled at its discretion.
It is known about the Ukrainian that his national dream is to become a boss, to reach the top of some vertical — that is, to have people under his control whose labor will benefit the boss. Hence the well-known “where there are two Ukrainians, there are three hetmans” and other folk sayings of this sort. At the same time, when the Ukrainian himself happens to be not a hetman but a serf, he displays remarkable ability to organize horizontal connections in order to circumvent, as he puts it, the “marasmus” created by vertical ones.
What is important here is the following. Apparently, there exists a habit sanctified by centuries — the habit of considering that horizontal actions are intended only to circumvent the problems created by vertical ones. The other side of this habit is the fact that only vertical relations are considered “real,” legitimate. Therefore, all the energy of Ukrainians goes toward the vertical. They faithfully believe that problems can be solved by giving orders to their neighbors and that this is the only possible solution. Ukrainians are fighters for other people’s misfortune. And, although they themselves regularly suffer from these orders, it doesn’t even occur to them to establish simple cause-and-effect connections. They support with all their might a system that robs and ruins them.
Judge for yourself. Right now, in connection with the “Vlasenko case,” I again hear calls to bring the masses onto the streets and see a discussion around these calls. The progressive public debates what might lure the masses onto the streets. Many believe that the masses will not go out for Vlasenko, but will go out, say, for European integration. But the very task of dragging someone somewhere and, in general, fighting in every possible way is not called into question. This is precisely where the main problem lies. After all, the strength of the system is that the actors fulfill their roles completely voluntarily. As long as some mess things up while others sincerely fight them, as long as all their forces go to this — the system is completely safe. The “verticality” of relations will be preserved, the robbery will continue, possibly with somewhat different “scenery,” but what difference does that make?
And to solve the problem, one merely needs to not raise one’s head upward searching for non-existent “state heights.” One simply needs to look around and finally notice each other. Hey, Ukrainians! You are here alone, there is no one here except you!