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Lynn Walker Gendusa| Guest Columnist

Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Lynn Walker Gendusa

Columnist and author Lynn Walker Gendusa spoke with The Tennessean opinion and engagement director David Plazas.

Nashville Tennessean

"I never thought I would view such horror in the year 2022!" How often have you heard those words since the Russian invasion began in Ukraine?

Indeed, we assumed that we had evolved above tyranny, evil and barbaric dictators as a society. We thought there could never be another Adolph Hitler or Stalin.

Leaders of nations today would undoubtedly fear repeating the destruction of World War II and any threat of nuclear warfare. Certainly, humankind has learned its lessons from history.

Yet, one lone man rose from the bowels of immoralityunchecked and unleashedto render havoc and instill terror into the world.How did that happen?

Is it, in part, due to us wearing blinders? Usually, when we become comfortable and complacent, something will come shake us up. We are reminded that we might not be as safe andas invincible as we thought. We now see that our corner of the world is not all that matters.

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We watch the atrocity of babies dying and parents fleeing their bomb-torn Ukrainian villages.Thus, we realize the comfort of life can disappear within days due to the actions of one lone man.

A man who has lost all compassion, love andhumility. A man who has sold his soul for power. He shows no remorse for forcing his citizens into isolation and uncertainty.He is the revival of the tyrant, and he is Vladimir Putin.

I am bothered by those Americans and others who hail his name and extol his authority.I pray they are a minuscule percentage of folks, because praising a dictator slaps freedom in the face.

These individuals kick the graves of all the fallen soldiers who died on battlefields to keep us from falling prey to monsters.There is no excuse for favoring someone who is so blatantly heinous.

Party politics should never be played in this game.It's the one issue we should all agree upon.

If we cherish American democracy, we must be on the side of liberty for all people and a renewed determination to keep it that way.We cannot sit in our lounge chairs, kick back, put on our blindersand act like we'renot affected by what goes on elsewhere.

Who knows when a despot might arrive on our shore and attempt to sabotage our corner of the world. Turning blind eyes to evil and those who perpetrate it fuels the tyrant.

Sometimes our bravery is absolutely required. The courage to speak up, denounce those who spew hatredand stop the madness of dissent is absolutely required.

Extremism is increasing, and a threat will rise from these extremes.I believe folks drawn to hostility are those who have been hurt and harmed at some point in their life, and they search for a place that accepts their ire.

Common sense and truth is lost on them, and there are no words to change their minds.Anger rules, animosity reignsand wickedness will continue togrow.

They twist facts into lies, turn God's words to ashes and swear they do so to save us all.We must open our eyes to their malevolence.

As proven by history, democracy can fall to dictatorship.There are many reasons, including a new crisis or economic failure, but three stand out as warning signs.

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Political polarization is one of the main contributors. When competing political sides no longer want to cooperate with one another, they open the doors to allow violentor extremist groups to take over politics instead.

Democracy fails when a nations elitesdecide democracy no longer works for them. When these elites feel that losing an election may mean forfeiting their power and influence over a country, they may seek to take over the nation by force.

Apathetic citizens are another reason we mightlose our freedom.When we believe that our vote no longer counts, our words do not matterand we are not brave enough to stand firm, we invite tyranny in.

Hitler was one lone man who manipulated many including educated intellectualinto submission and cowardliness. Such monstrosities should never be repeated.

If the American majority believes in love, compassionand hope, then we must be bold enough to open our eyes and close our doors to those who have no concept of freedom, faithand fairness.

Christ was one lone man whose gentle words influenced our world, changed our heartsand was brave enough to die for us.He condemned hatred, detested bigotry, despised hypocrisyand preached kindness.

One lone person can create a hell on earth or bring heaven to our world.

Lynn Walker Gendusa is a writer in Georgia and the author of the new book "Southern Comfort." She is originally from Monterey, Tennessee.

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We must be willing to fight for the liberty and justice for everyone| Opinion - Tennessean