Ildar Dadin, Courage, and the Tall Poppy Syndrome

When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 1 Samuel 17: 48-49 (ESV)

Ildar Dadin, Courage, and the Tall Poppy Syndrome

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The biblical story of David is one of the most compelling narratives in the Old Testament. David begins as a young shepherd boy from Bethlehem, secretly anointed by the prophet Samuel to be Israel's future king while Saul still reigns. He gains fame by defeating the Philistine giant Goliath with just a sling and a stone, demonstrating courage and faith in God. David then serves in Saul's court as a musician and warrior. Still, Saul becomes envious of David's success and popularity, forcing David to flee and live as an outlaw – an example of TPS in the Bible that seems to have more examples of TPS than any other book.

After Saul died in battle, David became king first over Judah, then over all Israel. He establishes Jerusalem as his capital, brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and receives God's promise that his dynasty will be eternal. Under David's reign, Israel reached its greatest territorial extent and achieved its most significant military power. Yet, another example of a TP who is cut down but rises like the phoenix.

Courage

The following paragraphs are taken from my forthcoming book, Sin to Virtue: Transforming the Tall Poppy Syndrome by Understanding the Seven Deadly Sins.

The cardinal virtues of Christian tradition are the four essential moral virtues outlined in classical philosophy. The term "cardinal" originates from the Latin word "cardo," meaning hinge, because all other virtues are believed to depend on these four. These virtues were first described by philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, and later incorporated into Christian moral teachings by thinkers like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.

These virtues include: prudence—judging the right course in any situation after considering consequences and making wise choices (practice wisdom); justice—fairness, righteousness, and respect for others' rights; fortitude—courage to face fear, uncertainty, and adversity with perseverance and resilience in pursuit of good; and temperance—self-control, moderation, and restraint, especially regarding desires and pleasures.

It never ends with Putin, including the cutting down of his own, Navalny-Skripal-Prigozhin: Courage and the Tall Poppy Syndrome, or the war with Ukraine. He is armed and dangerous (nuclear threat), giving him control. He cuts down with reckless abandon.

Ildar Dadin

Ildar Ildusovich Dadin was born a Russian citizen of Tatar ethnicity and was 42 years old when he died. He began his activism following the December 2011 parliamentary elections, motivated by accusations of large-scale voter fraud against the ruling United Russia party. He served as an election monitor 14 times and firmly believed that citizens should actively participate in their country's political life.

Dadin rose to prominence as the first person convicted under a 2014 law that penalized repeated violations of rally regulations, and the law became widely known as the "Dadin law". He was prosecuted after receiving three misdemeanor convictions for conducting one-man protests and attending anti-government rallies.

In December 2015, he was sentenced to three years in prison (later reduced to 2.5 years). During his trial, he maintained his innocence, stating that he was exercising his constitutional rights and that his actions were "exclusively peaceful and nonviolent."

Dadin initially served his sentence in a prison colony in Segezha, where he endured systematic torture at the hands of prison guards. In a letter to his wife published by Meduza, he detailed being beaten repeatedly, hung by handcuffs, and threatened with rape. His revelations led to public outcry, and he was transferred to another prison. The warden and deputy from Segezha were later convicted of abuse of office in 2019.

Russia's Supreme Court overturned his conviction and ordered his release in February 2017. He was later awarded more than 2.2 million rubles (about $38,000) in compensation for wrongful prosecution.

After his release, Dadin continued his protest activities. He was awarded the Boris Nemtsov Foundation's annual prize for "courage in defending democratic rights and freedoms".

However, Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine fundamentally changed his approach. In an August 2023 interview, Dadin stated that he now viewed nonviolent resistance as pointless, claiming that peaceful protests had "zero practical meaning" since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

In early 2023, Dadin joined the Siberian Battalion, a unit of Russian nationals within the Ukrainian army. He chose the military call sign "Gandhi" because he remained inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's principle of nonviolent struggle, but believed he had to resist Russia's crimes through force of arms as a last resort.

In December 2023, he joined the Freedom of Russia Legion following a reorganization. He was killed in action on October 5, 2024, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region when his unit came under Russian artillery fire. He was described as "one of the few well-known Russian activists to have taken up arms against his own country".

Following his death, the Free Russia Forum announced the creation of a prize named after him to "perpetuate his memory and support all forms of anti-Putin resistance".

Dadin's life represents a journey from peaceful civil disobedience to armed resistance, making him a unique figure in the Russian opposition movement who ultimately gave his life fighting against the regime that had imprisoned and tortured him. I wonder what Martin Luther King would think?

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" was first recorded in John Steinbeck's 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The world is lucky to have TPs like Dadin. Courage often accompanies servitude in the narrow path to tall poppydom.