Ukrainians are playing extra time. So are you
Three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The current political situation in the USA made me think: is it possible to learn how to love and sympathize? Not sure. But there is still a chance to learn how to cooperate and be in solidarity.
I wanted to write: “before it is too late.” But it is too late. For three years of my life, I’ve been living with the feeling that regular time has ended. It’s not a football game we’re playing (not a card game either). But the match has gone into extra time, and the players, with the last bit of strength, kept moving, trying to defend the goal. Some of them are injured, and many of them are killed (to make it clear — by Russians). All of them are tired, but none of them are alone.
You might be watching us fight on TV, Instagram, or wherever. Maybe we’re your favorite team, and you donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We’re grateful for your support, but the only path to victory is for you to realize that this isn’t just our fight — it’s yours. More than that, there is no “you” and “us” anymore — there is only “we,” standing together for dignity [гідність], justice [справедливість], and freedom [cвобода].
We speak various languages, grew up with diverse lullabies and stories, and are shaped by different social and natural landscapes. So much divides us — physical borders and mental stereotypes. Maybe this is your first time seeing Cyrillic words that aren’t Russian, or it isn’t. But if you understand their meaning and want that meaning to matter in the world, we can make it happen together.
How?
Stay curious. Politicians and regimes don’t last forever. There is plenty of evidence that things can be different — and better. This is not the time to give up but to shift perspectives. For years, Ukrainians wanted so desperately to resemble Westerners that we inherited an inferiority complex — one as strong as it was baseless. But when the Russian invasion happened, we were the first to stand and fight for democratic values.
A teenager in Connecticut graduated high school without being able to read or write. Meanwhile, kids in Ghana grow up speaking up to six languages.
Multiculturalism isn’t the problem. The problem is the endless pursuit of profit, which drains and scorches everything around. And once we become aware of this, we can build relationships with people as people — and for people.
