The tragedy of April 10. It’s a lot to process. I grieve for the family and friends of the crash victims and for Poland, a country too frequently plagued by tragedy and loss this past century. I’ve grieved with my neighbors here but I’ve also sometimes felt like an analytical observer rather than a participator. Lately I’m an information gatherer, trying to understand the significance of the event, the emotional reaction of the country, the state of the government. I’ve talked to everyone about the tragedy – work colleagues, students, younger people, older people, people in the Czech Republic, people in Slovakia, people in America. I’ve watched people hang flags with black ribbons and say prayers and light candles at the memorial in the town center. I’ve studied every related article in the Polish English newspaper I read online. I’ve browsed international websites, especially BBC, CNN, and other American news sources.
People from America have e-mailed and said, “You’re there. What’s it like?” Four words that resonate with me after almost two weeks of processing the tragedy and its implications are HISTORY, STABILITY, FORGIVENESS, and FAITH.
HISTORY:
The terrible plane crash killed not only President Kaczynski but other high-ranking government and military officials. The crash killed the country’s president, the deputy foreign minister, the national bank president, the head of the National Security Office, the army chaplain, and numerous other military, political, and church leaders. I’ll admit that upon hearing the horrific news the morning on April 10 I couldn’t help but despair, “Why were they all flying together?!?”
They were flying to Russia to attend the 70th commemoration of the Katyn massacre, where in 1940 22,000 Polish military officers and leaders (doctors, professors, lawyers, priests, journalists) were murdered by the Soviet secret police. Russia only recently (in 1990) accepted responsibility for the massacre after decades of elaborate cover-ups (including fabricating evidence to prove the massacre was a Nazi operation).
The symbolic nature of the site of the plane crash is sad; the parallel between the massacre and the plane crash haunting. Twice the Russian site hosts the death of Poland’s top military, government, religious, and intellectual leaders.
You can’t understand the tragedy here without understanding Poland’s past. The plane didn’t crash in Russia. It crashed near the site where the bodies of 22,000 murdered Poles were buried and concealed for decades. You may have read that people here were upset when foreign leaders canceled their plans to attend the funeral. Yes, the volcano interfered, but people (including me) were disappointed by European leaders in close proximity to Poland who had the option of driving or traveling by train to the late president’s funeral but canceled “because of the volcano.” It’s not people canceling; it’s a repeat of WWII where France and Britain promised to attack Germany if Germany attacked Poland and then France and Britain “canceled” at Poland’s time of need and directly violated their past agreements. People pledged their support following the tragedy on Saturday and then bailed. History is alive here. Poland didn’t need another tragedy. They’ve had a lot of loss in the past 70 years.
STABILITY:
The crash killed a significant number of senior officials. But despite the tragedy and blow to the country and its government and military, it’s strangely and miraculously calm here. People are mourning, in shock, but not frantic or terrified. There’s no fear of military invasion, of someone leaping at the opportunity to capture Poland at its weakest. Is it crazy to think about a military invasion? No! Because the peace here that allows Poland to mourn without fear for the security of its country or an imminent invasion from its neighbors is a [quite recent] blessing! The government is stable. Following terms in the Constitution, presidential elections were rescheduled for June 20 (instead of the autumn). I’m grateful for a peaceful transfer of power – a victory for any country. I’m amazed by the stability, the calm.
FORGIVENESS:
The word that resonates best with my understanding and observations of the past two weeks is FORGIVENESS.
Why did the plane crash? Probably due to pilot error. He shouldn’t have tried to land the plane in the heavy fog. But you know what’s amazing, inspirational? No one here is angry at him. Polish newspapers aren’t printing exposées on the pilot whose mistake [may have] killed almost 100 people. (Could American journalists resist this temptation?) People here I talk to aren’t pointing fingers either. There’s a feeling of “it’s a tragedy regardless of how or why the plane crashed.” Perhaps top officials did pressure the pilot to land, whether or not we’ll ever have that confirmed by a recording. Perhaps the pilot alone was mistaken in his decision. But when people talk of the crash and the pilot you hear “he was human too and we need healing, not finger-pointing” in their tone of voice. And that’s forgiveness at its core. We are only human.
And President Kaczynski was only human too. A lot of people in Poland didn’t like his policies or his administration. The country probably wouldn’t have re-elected him in the autumn. Some people scoff at how when someone dies we only remember the best of him or her. But President Kaczynski loved his country, his family, and he served them to the best of his ability. We should honor and respect him for his work and forgive him for his faults. The news here is focused on his “good” and, although perhaps in a less apparent way, I interpret this focus as the country forgiving him for his faults and uplifting him for his gifts and years of service to his country and its people.
People at President Kaczynski’s funeral on Sunday spoke of a desire for Polish-Russian reconciliation, and at the core of Polish-Russian reconciliation is forgiveness for the horrors of the past. I’ve had the opportunity to read an English translation of the speech President Kaczynski wrote (but never delivered) for the 70th commemoration of the Katyn massacre. In his speech about Katyn, Kaczynski also wrote of a hope for reconciliation: “May this wound fully and finally heal. We are already on this path. We Poles acknowledge and value the actions of Russians of recent years. This path, which is bringing our nations together, we should continue to travel, not halting on the way or retreating back.” Following the tragedy, I’m overwhelmed and humbled by Poland’s efforts to forgive.
FAITH:
In church the Sunday after the crash, we sang hymns that asked for guidance and peace. I was almost brought to tears by the first verse of one well-known hymn. I’ve included the English translation here:
Jesus, still lead on
Till our rest be won;
And, although the way be cheerless,
We will follow, calm and fearless;
Guide us by your hand to our Father's land.
One line of the second verse states, “let not faith and hope forsake us.” That’s how Poland responded to the tragedy: with sadness, but also with faith, with hope, with a prayer for healing. With a spirit of forgiveness. Mournful, but fearless. They keep faith. They persevere.
A special thanks to everyone who sent me e-mails after the tragedy on April 10. My colleagues, students, and friends were touched to hear that people in America sent their condolences and are praying for Poland following the tragedy and during this state of transition. Please continue to keep Poland in your prayers.
Peace,
Sarah
