Hands to Hearts As We Face Fierce Fears

As I was perusing Facebook today, I saw a four-panel comic strip that has me pondering the nature of war and what it entails. The classic Calvin and Hobbes created by Bill Watterson was a humorous and profound reflection of the goings-on in the adult realms as seen through the eyes of a boy and his stuffed tiger. Clearly, they were both sharper than the grown-ups. Calvin was asking his newspaper reading dad about war as he innocently queried, “Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world’s problems?”  Dad looks stunned and then numb, speechless. He’s wise beyond his years’ son replied, ” I think grownups just ACT like they know what they’re doing.”

Indeed, Calvin. I am convinced that there are times when adults are clueless and are operating under the false belief that might makes right. I grew up in the Viet Nam War era and have since lived through various Middle Eastern and Gulf Wars and at this writing, terrifyingly, an unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine. I am no geopolitical genius, but I know that there was no justification, except in the mind of Vladimir Putin to unleash fury on a neighboring country that he claims belongs to him. The jury is still out on whether NATO countries should intervene militarily, or if financially assaulting sanctions are sufficient to stop the onslaught. Regardless if ultimately, President Biden decides to send troops to join the battle, there will be some who give his choice a thumbs up and some, a thumbs down. I have read articles and social media posts about some Russian troops who have refused to fight and citizens who have taken to the streets, at their own peril, to protest the war.

I have friends who are of Ukrainian heritage and some who have family still there and they fear for their safety. My heart is with them. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, and his family remain in their country, despite an offer from the U.S. to evacuate them. He knows that there is a target on his back but he is standing with his people. I also recently was reminded that my great grandfather was from Kyiv.

I have been praying since I heard about the possibility of war, that ultimately peace will prevail. I have seen images of people in Kyiv huddled in subway cars and stations, of some escaping with their animals, of families evacuating to whatever place might be safer. The howling of the air raid sirens. The flash of fires. The truth is, nowhere is out of harm’s way. It may seem like a pissing contest between Putin and the NATO allies. It may eventually come down to him feeling like a trapped animal, which is when people are not always capable of making good decisions. I question how much he cares about the citizens of Russia and if, as he says, they and the residents of Ukraine are one people, why in God’s name would he want to do them harm? You don’t get someone to like you by bullying them into submission. I also pray that cooler heads prevail in his government and he won’t do something ill-advised such as launching a nuclear strike.

I remember a song by Sting called Russia in which lines, “There’s no such thing as a winnable war,” and “I hope the Russians love their children too,” stand out as a chilling reminder of what people are capable of if their evil inclinations overcome them. In 1987, I was invited to go to what was then the Soviet Union for a Citizens’ Diplomacy Mission. The purpose was so that we and our Russian companions would recognize each other as friends and not the enemies that our governments might have had us believe we were. I ended up not going, but I sometimes wonder how remarkably my life would have been impacted if I returned to the land of my ancestors. My grandparents and great-grandparents had fled Russia during the pogrom and came to the U.S. Had they not made the wise decision to emigrate, they would have been there during the Holocaust and I might never have been born.

Had I not been born, I wouldn’t have adopted my son who met and married my daughter-in-law. He is the phenomenal father of my treasured grandson, whose little hand left his mark on the image above and on my heart.

Tonight I attended a vigil in my town called We Will Not Be Erased: A Solidarity Vigil for Human Rights-Uniting for peace in Ukraine, and solidarity with Black, Brown, Indigenous people and LGBTQ+ youth and students! As we stood in the windy, chilly temps, I found myself imagining what it might be like for people crossing the border of Ukraine and Poland on foot and experiencing gratitude that I was surrounded by friends who hugged the warmth back into me. We were freely doing what 6000 people have been arrested for doing in Russia.

Portions of an exquisite poem were featured in commercials for the Giant food chain and each time I hear it, I get goosebumps and sometimes even tear up. It’s title is What Life Should Be by Patricia A. Fleming. The lines that remain with me and cause teardrops to trickle are these: