The Cost Of Lies
Lesson from the Reel: HBO’s Chernobyl (2019)
HBO’s Chernobyl is the latest mini-series that has mostly appeased the Game of Thrones’ fans by storm, after nursing a broken heart, thanks to a disappointing finale from the final season.
Chernobyl’s based on a true event surpassed my expectation. It is clear that the involvement in this series is given attention-to-detail solid.
I was pleasantly surprised with the great build up, impressive acting and the immersive 70’s cold-war atmosphere.
The entire series left me gripping at the edge of my seat, as if I could feel the radiation coming off and creeping under my skin.
This 5-part episode re-enacts the incident that happened and uncovered the root cause, the people involved, and how it became one of the worst man-made disasters in history.
[Spoiler alert?]: This series is based closely on the actual event. If you intend to watch it, perhaps you might want to skip this.
A cocktail of lies, hubris, and distrust
Although the cause was an explosion in the water tank, the main contributing factor was because of a flawed reactor design to begin with.
The primary fault lies on: 1)The graphite tips in the RBMK reactor, which was previously reported — and later on redacted, 2) the superior’s complete denial of evidence and 3) the lack of trust within the party officials.
While I am not downplaying the seriousness of the tragedy, I am thankful that the explosion does not aggravate to a serious one.
The explosion at Reactor 4 could have degraded and potentially cause a 2 to a 4-megaton thermal explosion, which could have easily obliterated the other three functioning reactors, level the entire ground with radiation, and lead a chain reaction amounting to a global catastrophe.
The thought of an extinction level event sends a chill down my spine.
The cost of lies
Ignorance and fear are the two recurring portrayals for the entire series.
From the ignorant Dyatlov who instilled fear by commanding the inexperienced operators,
To the superiors whom decided to cover up their mistakes,
And to the higher commanding authorities, who feared that showing signs of weakness is seen as a threat to the Soviet Union.
“Apologizing to our friends, apologizing to our enemies. Our power comes from the perception of our power.”
—HBO: Chernobyl (2019), Ep 02.
Ignorance breeds irresponsibility and uncertainty while fear festers into assumption and turmoil.
When the agents of ignorance and fear unite, it creates an invisible enemy worthy of respect.
Stand up for your moral ground
Amid the roils of mistrust and frustration, a chemist commissioned by the Soviet Union named Valery Legasov is tasked to lead the investigation.
In the series, Professor Legasov stood firm on his moral compass and set to establish facts on what happened and how to avert a future disaster.
In the final episode, he decided to unshackle his grip from the censorship and secrecy, stood among his scientist comrades and courageously explained his testimony to the IAEA meeting on what he had uncovered.
Ultimately, he committed suicide two years after the disaster, with some sources suggest that he is unable to cope with the political pressures.
His death prompted a rapid investigation on the faults of the RBMK reactors and the Soviet Union to acknowledge the design flaw.
Professor Valery Legasov is conferred the title of “A hero of the Russian Federation.”
A lesson on lies and misinformation
Lies make us slip and fall. It is even harder to contain when they spread beyond control.
When we lie, we betray someone’s trust and thus, disrespect ourselves in the process.
And what about white lies? Some might argue that there are instances where revealing a truth might lead to more harm than good.
We have seen the non- threatening lies being laid out in the entire series:
The residents at Pripyat were denied the truth by being told that everything was under control,
Sitnikov, one of the plant operators, being told to remain calm and was ordered to report back with a visual confirmation on the blast despite his refusal.
The propaganda numbers being used instead of the actual figures to water down the incident when they seek assistance to acquire lunar rover from Germany, leading to an unnecessary waste of time.
I am reminded of this phrase,
“Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid” — HBO: Chernobyl (2019), Ep 05.
Sure, fabricating lies seems like a good way to wriggle ourselves away in the short term. But truths we all admit, they always prevail.
We sometimes forget that every lie has a price tag.
The question is, if you think lying is a better option, are you willing to bear the debt?
Thank you for reading.
