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Bitter work
Feb. 24th, 2023 04:34 pmIt's a grim anniversary today: exactly one year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and slightly over nine years since the beginning's of Russia's current attempt to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and destroy the Ukrainian people's right to determine the future course of their own state.
I don't want to say much, because the facts — what Russia did, and how Ukrainians resisted, and how (slowly, imperfectly, but eventually) the world responded speak for themselves.
The way Ukrainians responded, at all levels — political, military, economic, societally and individually — left me awestruck in admiration, humbled by their example, and ashamed of how little, in contrast, I might be prepared to sacrifice in the face of a similarly existential threat. They are an impressive example of what is possible when the majority of a society pool their different strengths to common purpose — and when adequate external support is provided at the final, crucial hour. (Which is to say that there are numerous other national or social groups elsewhere in the world who have similar will to achieve similar things but do not get the external support they need.)
The war itself woke me up, and left me with a kind of ideological and moral clarity which burnt away things that didn't matter, or which I realised could be left for later.
There is still a long way to go, and the cost to the Ukrainian people and state has been appalling, but as long as they consider this a necessary price to pay to achieve their goals, the least we can do is — in whatever small way — help them. For me, this means contributing financially to reputable organisations that provide military, humanitarian, or rebuiling assistance to the country, and writing regularly to my elected representatives to ensure they know that I consider our country's support of Ukraine to be an important politic issue. I am not asking you to do the same, but I am asking you to pick a cause that is important to you, and take a concrete action that will have a tangible effect on that cause. I believe this is an appropriate way to honour the ceaseless, bitter work of the Ukrainian people this past year.
The work goes on, and I do not lose heart.
I don't want to say much, because the facts — what Russia did, and how Ukrainians resisted, and how (slowly, imperfectly, but eventually) the world responded speak for themselves.
The way Ukrainians responded, at all levels — political, military, economic, societally and individually — left me awestruck in admiration, humbled by their example, and ashamed of how little, in contrast, I might be prepared to sacrifice in the face of a similarly existential threat. They are an impressive example of what is possible when the majority of a society pool their different strengths to common purpose — and when adequate external support is provided at the final, crucial hour. (Which is to say that there are numerous other national or social groups elsewhere in the world who have similar will to achieve similar things but do not get the external support they need.)
The war itself woke me up, and left me with a kind of ideological and moral clarity which burnt away things that didn't matter, or which I realised could be left for later.
There is still a long way to go, and the cost to the Ukrainian people and state has been appalling, but as long as they consider this a necessary price to pay to achieve their goals, the least we can do is — in whatever small way — help them. For me, this means contributing financially to reputable organisations that provide military, humanitarian, or rebuiling assistance to the country, and writing regularly to my elected representatives to ensure they know that I consider our country's support of Ukraine to be an important politic issue. I am not asking you to do the same, but I am asking you to pick a cause that is important to you, and take a concrete action that will have a tangible effect on that cause. I believe this is an appropriate way to honour the ceaseless, bitter work of the Ukrainian people this past year.
The work goes on, and I do not lose heart.