Russia in struggle with the civilisation of chaos

If we consider the problem of chaos from a philosophical and historical perspective, it becomes very clear that SMO is about Russia's struggle against the civilisation of chaos, which is, in fact, the new democracy, represented by the collective West and its rabid neighbourhood structure (Ukraine). The parameters of this civilisation, its historical and cultural profile, its ideology in general, are fairly easy to identify. We can recognise the movement towards chaos from the very first rebellion against orbitality, hierarchy, the ontological pyramidal volume that embodied the order of traditional civilisation. Moreover, the desire for horizontality and egalitarianism in all spheres has increased. Finally, the new democracy and globalism represent the triumph of chaotic systems that the West still struggles to control, but which are increasingly taking over and imposing their own chaotic algorithms on humanity. The history of the West in modern times and up to now is a history of the growth of chaos - of its power, its intensity and its radicality.

Russia - perhaps not on the basis of a clear and conscious choice - found itself in opposition to the civilisation of chaos, and this became an irreversible and indisputable fact soon after the onset of SMO. The metaphysical profile of the adversary is generally clear, but the question of what constitutes Russia itself in this conflict and how it can defeat chaos, given its fundamental ontological underpinnings, is far from simple.

Something much more serious than realism

We have seen that formally, from the perspective of international relations theory, we are talking about a confrontation between two types of order: unipolar (the West) and multipolar (Russia and its cautious and often hesitant allies). A closer analysis reveals that unipolarism is the triumph of the new democracy and thus chaos, while multipolarism based on the principle of sovereign civilisations, although an order, reveals nothing about the essence of the proposed order. Moreover, the classical notion of sovereignty, as understood by the realist school of international relations, itself presupposes chaos between states, which undermines the philosophical foundation if we consider the confrontation with unipolarism and globalism as a struggle precisely for order and against chaos.

Of course, to a first approximation, Russia expects nothing more than the recognition of its sovereignty as a nation-state and the protection of its national interests, and the fact that it had to confront the moderate chaos establishment of globalism in order to do so was somewhat of a surprise to Moscow, which started the SMO with much more concrete and pragmatic goals. The intention of the Russian leadership was only to contrast realism in international relations with liberalism, and the Russian leadership did not expect or even suspect a serious confrontation with the institution of chaos - especially in its aggravated form. Yet, we find ourselves in precisely this situation. Russia is at war with chaos in every sense of this multifaceted phenomenon, which means that the entire struggle takes on a metaphysical nature. If we want to win, we must defeat chaos, and this also means that from the very beginning we position ourselves as the antithesis of chaos, that is, as the beginning that opposes it.

It is a good time to review the fundamental definitions of chaos.

The edges of chaos

First, in the original Greek interpretation, chaos was a void, a territory in which order had not yet been established. Of course, the modern chaos of Western civilisation is not like this: it is not a void, on the contrary, it is an explosion of all-pervasive materiality; but in the face of true ontological order, it is truly insignificant, its meaning and spiritual content tending to zero.

Secondly, chaos is mixture and this mixture is based on disharmony, disorderly conflicts and aggressive clashes. In chaotic systems, unpredictability prevails as all elements are out of place. De-centricity, eccentricity becomes the engine of all processes. Things in the world rebel against order and tend to overthrow any logical construction or structure.

Thirdly, the history of Western European civilisation is a constant inflation of a degree of chaos, i.e. a progressive accumulation of chaos - as emptiness, aggression of mixing and splitting of smaller and smaller particles, and this is accepted as the moral vector for the development of civilisation and culture.

Globalism is the final stage of this process, in which all these tendencies reach their maximum degree of saturation and intensity.

The great void calls for a great order

Russia in the SMO challenges the entire process - metaphysical and historical. Consequently, in every sense, it speaks for an alternative to chaos.

This means that Russia should offer a model that can fill the growing void. Moreover, the volume of the void is related to the strength and internal power of the order that claims to replace it. A large void requires a large order. Indeed, it corresponds to the act of the birth of Eros or Psyche between Heaven and Earth, or the phenomenon of man as mediator between the main ontological poles. We are dealing with a new creation, an affirmation of order where there is none, where it has been overthrown.

To establish order in this situation, it is necessary to subdue the liberated elements of materiality. That is, to confront the torrents of fragmented and fractured power, to defeat the results of egalitarianism taken to its logical limit. Consequently, Russia must be inspired by a higher heavenly principle, which alone is capable of subduing the chthonic rebellion.

This fundamental metaphysical mission must be accomplished in direct confrontation with Western civilisation, which is the historical sum of growing chaos.

To defeat the titanic powers of Earth, it is necessary to be a representative of Heaven, to have a critical amount of its support on one's side.

It is clear that modern Russia, as a state and society, cannot claim to already be the embodiment of such a comical organisational element. It is itself imbued with Western influences and seeks only to defend its sovereignty without questioning the theory of progress, the materialistic foundations of the natural sciences of the New Age, technical inventions, capitalism or the Western model of liberal democracy. But because the modern globalist West denies Russia even relative sovereignty, it forces it to raise the stakes indefinitely; thus it finds itself in the position of a society in rebellion against the modern world, against egalitarian chaos, against rapidly growing emptiness and accelerating dissipation.

Not yet a true order, Russia faced chaos in a deadly battle.

Katechon - The Third Rome

In such a situation, Russia has no choice but to become what it is not, but a position it is forced to assume by the very coincidence of circumstances. The platform for such a confrontation in the roots of Russian history and culture certainly exists. It is above all Orthodoxy, sacred values and the high ideal of an empire endowed with a katechistic function, which must be seen as a bulwark against chaos [1]. To a residual extent, society has preserved the concepts of harmony, justice and the preservation of traditional institutions - family, community, morality - that have survived several centuries of modernisation and westernisation, and especially the last atheistic and materialistic era. However, this alone is not enough. To resist the force of chaos truly effectively, a large-scale spiritual awakening, a profound transformation and revival of the spiritual foundations, principles and priorities of the sacred order is required.

Russia must quickly affirm internally the beginnings of the sacred katechetical order, which was established in the 15th century in the continuity of the Byzantine heritage and the proclamation of Moscow as the Third Rome.

Only an eternal Rome can hinder the almighty flow of the liberated time. But for this it must itself be an earthly projection of the heavenly vertical.

Etimasia

In ecclesiastical art there is a subject called the prepared throne - in Greek Etimasia, ἑτοιμασία. Showing an empty throne flanked by angels, saints or rulers, it symbolises the throne of Jesus Christ, on which He will sit to judge the nations when the Second Coming takes place. For now - until the Second Coming - the throne is empty, but not entirely because the Cross is placed there.

This image refers to the older Byzantine and Roman practice of placing a spear or sword on the throne when the emperor leaves the capital, for example for a war. The weapon shows that the throne is not empty. The emperor is not there, but his presence is and no one can invade the supreme power with impunity.

In the Christian tradition, this has been reinterpreted in the context of the Kingdom of Heaven and, consequently, the throne of God himself. After the Ascension, Christ withdrew into heaven, but this does not mean that he does not exist. He is, and he alone truly is, and his kingdom 'has no end'. It is in eternity, not in time. That is why the Old Believers insisted so much on the Old Russian version of the Creed: 'His kingdom has no end', not 'there will be no end'. Christ dwells on his throne forever. For us, mortal and earthly, in a certain period of history - between the First and Second Coming - it becomes imperceptible, and to remind us of the main absent figure (for us, humanity), the Cross is placed on the throne. Contemplating the Cross, we see the Crucified One. By thinking of the Crucified, we know the Risen One. Turning our hearts to the Risen One, we see him rise, come again. The "prepared throne" is His kingdom, His power. Both when He is present and when He withdraws. He will return. For all of this is a movement within eternity... In the final analysis, His reign has never been interrupted.

Russia, which today enters the final battle against chaos, is in the position of one who fights against the antichrist himself. But how far we are from this high ideal, which the radical nature of the final battle demands. And yet... Russia is the 'prepared throne'. From the outside it may appear to be empty. But it is not. The Russian people and state carry the katechumens. It is to us today that the words of the liturgy 'Like the Tsar who lifts up all' apply. With an extraordinary effort of will and spirit we bear the burden of the titular. And this action of ours will never be in vain.

Against chaos, we need not only our order, but His order, His authority, His kingdom. We, the Russians, carry the Throne of the Prepared. And in the history of mankind there is no mission more sacred, more lofty, more sacrificial than to lift Christ, the King of kings, upon our shoulders.

As long as there is a Cross on the throne, it is the Russian Cross, Russia is crucified on it, she bleeds her sons and daughters and all this for a reason... We are on the right path to the resurrection of the dead. We will play a key role in this world mystery, because we are the guardians of the throne, the inhabitants of Katechon.

[1] A. G. Dugin, Genesis and Empire, AST, Moscow 2022.

Translation by Lorenzo Maria Pacini