Petrov Day #42: The World Has Not Yet Ended (Though Some Are Trying)

Today is the 42nd anniversary of the day on which Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov decided not to end the world. Not ending the world is an example worthy of imitation, even by our degenerate politicians. As well as by each of us.

Not Yet the Eschaton

As we’ve commemorated before (in 2020, in 2021, and in 2022) on this Crummy Little Blog That Nobody Reads (CLBTNR), today is the too-little-celebrated anniversary of the important day 1983-Sep-26 when the world could have ended, but did not. That was because one man disobeyed orders, and did some critical thinking instead.

It was particularly due to Russian Lt. Col. Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (obituary from NPR at reference ^[1]), who wisely decided that, all else being equal, he would prefer not to destroy the world.

On that night, he was the duty officer at the Soviet nuclear early-warning center at Oko. Sunlight reflected off clouds had convinced a Soviet satellite watching a US missile base that exactly, and only, 5 missiles had launched. Petrov, on his own authority, defied the launch on warning standing orders and declared it a false alarm. Probably Petrov thought something like, “One missile, I can understand – that’s an accident. One thousand missiles, I can understand – that’s an attack. But five missiles? That I cannot understand.” Petrov stepped outside the box of obedience to standing orders, applied critical thinking, and decided not to cooperate with the system that would have ended the world.

Petrov rebelled; humanity got to live. It’s an excellent trade.

Sometimes a hero does not need to be brave to show heroism. Surprisingly often, critical thinking and a determination to do the right thing in the face of institutional decay is enough. Amid the rubble of our present-day institutional decay, we should all do likewise.

Some of us like to think of ‘Petrov Day’ as a not-yet-realized holiday that deserves more celebration.

The Weekend Conclusion

Pick your flavor of tikkun ha’olam. Whatever it is, do something that does not end the world, but instead heals it and contributes to the health of humanity.

When you find yourself also embedded in an absurd, evil system… do not obey. Especially do not obey in advance. Do the right thing instead.

(Ceterum censeo, Trump incarcerandam esse.)

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Notes & References

1: G Myre, “Stanislav Petrov, ‘The Man Who Saved The World,’ Dies At 77”, NPR: The Two-Way, 2018-Sep-18. ↩