Power of the Free Word

Recently, first-year students of the "International Communications" educational program (Bachelor's degree) had the opportunity to attend a lecture by philosopher and professor Tomas Kavaliauskas (Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania). The meeting took place within the framework of the "Communication Theories" course at the invitation of Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor Sergii Danylenko. The main topic of discussion was the narrative analysis of V. Havel's essay "The Power of the Powerless". The lecturer put a spotlight on the phenomenon of dissidence and the key ideas of the Czech politician and the first president of the independent modern Czech Republic, which remain relevant to this day. Tomas Kavaliauskas thoroughly explored the concepts of "living in truth" and "living in a lie", drawing parallels between Soviet "post-totalitarianism" and the current regime in the Russian Federation - the aggressor state.

The main keynote of the lecture was the idea that "the dissidents of the Soviet empire era sometimes did not believe in their own strength, but their strength was the freedom of speech, the desire to speak the truth." Based on this, the primary and most important conclusion for the modern world is that unique ideas and dedication to one's principles, rather than obedience to the system, remain the most powerful tool of influence and social development even in the darkest times.

The students actively joined the discussion, asking questions about the possibility of "living in truth" in the era of disinformation and the relevance of V. Havel's ideas to the contemporary world.

Yuliia Neshcheret, 1st-year student of ‘International Communications’