It's a Nation of Strong Cultural Heritage and Deserving of Peace!
Their was a time during my late twenties when I was at the airport waiting for a flight from New York. This was during the period of two years that I lived there. I believe that I was traveling to see some family members for a long weekend in North Carolina. But it was an evening departure and I remember the gate where I waited being rather quiet with not too many nearby passengers around. Just across the terminal walkway, one gate over, was a scheduled flight for Kiev.
Being younger, impressionable and vigorous in my thirst for adventure, I remember thinking to myself how spontaneous it would be to board that flight. Of course, to my knowledge at the time, their were no alarming political headlines nor atrocious events unfolding in the country per se. But I remember contemplating the scenario where rather than adhering to my set itinerary, I would board the flight to Eastern Europe and just like that find myself immersed in a totally foreign culture.
With that idea bearing some sense of trepidation and uncertainty, it seemed not to provoke tremendous fear. I wondered whether if I made it all the way on board the flight, what might happen once I arrived? Would I approach the customs terminal and be immediately reprehended because I didn’t have a passport and had just stowed myself into their country? Or might the agents show some compassion or even a slight admiration for my audacious attempt to explore their country?
I briefly envisioned what life for myself as a young American, with no pre-arranged agenda or local knowledge, might involve as I ventured out into the city. Part of me really did yearn for that sense of exploration. It seemed a preposterous yet welcoming idea. For years since that imaginative moment, I’ve read a great deal about world history, current events and even some Leo Tolstoy. A sense of fascination has prevailed in learning about such a storied and turbulent culture.
So now as we are confronting a major flagrant escalation of warfare by Russia against a westward embracing Ukrainian population, the situation appears dismal and unforgiving. I’m terribly saddened by the barbaric acts of an unmentionable Russian faux dictator. The people of Ukraine should not be under threat of death, destruction and sovereign capitulation. The events that have so quickly escalated over there necessitate thoughtful action on behalf of the western advanced nations and member NATO states. It’s the viscous governmental hierarchy of Russia that must be stopped and their military deterred so as to protect the people and independence of the promising future nation of Ukraine.
Our Thorough Look Back at the Situation in 2014
The Victorious Gov't Overthrow
Around The World: Ukraine