When my father died our home filled with visitors who came to comfort my mother. Most of them arrived with food for our family. Our kitchen filled with baked meats and casseroles that would sustain us for weeks to come. It was a time of community, generosity and love. As an eight year old child I was touched by the goodness of people who rallied to help my mother in her time of need.
In the ensuing years I watched my mother performing works of mercy for others over and over again. In spite of having a very tight budget she somehow found the means to contribute to community efforts that brought succor to people who were sick or who had experienced loss. She and others that I knew gave generously to causes without hesitating for a moment. I suppose that such model behavior taught me how to share even beyond my family and neighbors. I realized how incredible it is to know that we are not alone as we endure life’s challenges.
Recently I learned of a teacher friend of mine who has been bedridden since the beginning of the year. She is unable to sit or walk without intense pain so she not only has been unable to work, but she cannot take care of her household. A group of teachers at her school decided to create a “food train” to keep meals arriving at her home on a regular basis until she has recovered from the surgery that is scheduled to repair her spine.
I grew up believing that we are a generous nation. My mother would boast with tears in her eyes that the United States of America helped to rebuild much of Europe after World War II with the Marshall Plan. Since then I have watched our country send aid all over the world in times of need. I’ve worked with students who were eager to create fundraisers to help people around the world that they would never meet. Often these same students were living in economic want themselves, but like my mother they found a way to share whatever good fortune they were able to scrape together.
My maternal ancestors came from Slovakia in Eastern Europe. Their country borders with Ukraine and other nations that have historically been bandied about by more powerful countries and principalities. In the nineteen nineties when the former Soviet Union fell apart and walls were taken down my mother rejoiced because she had witnessed her father’s sorrow over the domination of Russia over smaller countries. She often remarked that her father would have been so happy to see democracy come to places that had been pawns for centuries.
When Russia hosted the winter Olympic games a few years ago I remember feeling that Putin was telling us about his dream and that dream was like a nightmare to me. Somehow he was reveling in the days of old when Russia wielded its force over much of Eastern Europe including Slovakia and Ukraine. It was apparent that he longed for those times and was only biding his time until he found a way to unite the old Soviet nations once again.
The moment finally came when Putin invaded Ukraine with the claim that much of the land and many of the people should rightfully be returned to Russia. In those early days there was a spontaneous rallying of European nations and the United Sates to help protect Ukraine from the outrageous invasion of their land. There was a unity of spirit with our NATO allies and a sense that the United States would help to supply funds and weapons to keep the defense of Ukraine alive.
Now such honorable generosity has become mired in geopolitical intrigue and the Republican party in the House of Representatives seems determined to suspend all aid to Ukraine simply because Donald Trump is instructing them to do so. The absurd selfishness of their decision literally hurts my heart. They make lame excuses for their lack of humanity when it is apparent that they simply want a political cudgel to wave at those who insist that we must back Ukraine in its hour of need.
I am a bonafide pacifist. I abhor war but I know that there have been moments in history when people and nations had to defend themselves. Just as we push back on an individual level when a bully attempts to harm us or someone we love, so too must we send the message that it is never right or just for a nation to invade another in a selfish grab of people and resources. The issues are understandably more complex than my simple analysis but we must always be wary of simply turning a blind eye to injustice or blatant mistreatment of people anywhere on earth.
The world is on fire right now. These are very dangerous times. Our nation’s resources are being painfully stretched but simply leaving Ukraine to get by on its own will lead to even greater global problems and will send the message to our allies that we can’t be trusted to respond in times of need. This is an important turning point in history that will be judged as a blight on the United States it our country abandons Ukraine. It is not in our best interest to simply walk away. We no longer have the luxury of being isolated from harm by the two oceans that mark our shores. The butterfly flapping its wings now affects everyone in the world simultaneously. If we turn our backs on one of our allies we might expect to get no understanding or aid if we are attacked.
My hope is that the Republicans who are supposed to represent us in Washington D.C. will recognize the folly of their unwillingness to support Ukraine or to even attempt to solve any problems at all for that matter. Just as we should not ignore the difficulties of our families or neighbors or friends, it would be a travesty to put our heads in the sand to ignore the people in Ukraine fighting for freedom from domination by an authoritarian power. I hope that enough elected officials come to their senses to set things right. Ukraine will not be able to hold out until after our elections. I fear that they will fall if we do not help them now. I can’t think of how great a travesty and blot on our character as a nation it will be. The need is great and we have to help now or hang our heads in shame.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 