Let’s face it, the news is boring. Same old, same old. The Russian invasion and war against Ukraine. Tens of thousands of men killing other men, and women and children. Apartment blocks being bombed and cities destroyed. Millions fleeing the country for safety in Poland and other countries. Russians killing people on the street sometimes with their hands tied behind their backs, as in Bucha. Visits of presidents and prime ministers to Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensy appealing for help. Promised weapons and delayed deliveries.
The courage and remarkable success of Ukrainian soldiers in defending Kyiv. The unspeakable tragedy of Mariupol. The harsh oppression of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, as in Kherson. The terrible loss of 100-200 Ukrainian soldiers killed every day in the Donbas. The heartrending stories of refugees, of wives and children whose husbands and fathers had to stay behind to fight the invading Russian barbarians.
Enough already, I want to scream!
How can I escape this constant and depressing news about the war in Ukraine?
These are the questions readers are asking.
How can I forget about the Ukraine war?
I have my own little life to live. Anyway, what can I do to change things, or bring the war to an end?
Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection. Covid-19 and the lockdowns and the masks, and still the pandemic is not over. And now the war in Ukraine. It is too much. My mind is exploding.
How, oh how, can I forget the war in Ukraine?
Who was it who said, “You may ignore history, but history will not ignore you.” I can’t find the quote, but it is true.
Compartmentalize. And act. That may be the answer. Better even than hiding our heads in the sand like ostriches. But we must keep this dreadful news from draining us of all of our positive energy, and of our joy of living, our joie de vivre.
Compartmentalize. Read the newspapers, quickly. Avoid television reports with pictures of the killing, images of explosions and destruction, and interviews with witnesses and refugeesOr if you must watch, keep it to a minimum. You have to protect your nervous system and consciousness from the images the TV cable channels shamelessly exploit to boost their profits. So, you can remain aware of what is happening while at the same time protecting your nervous system and your psyche. Or try to. This is not easy.
To avoid a feeling of helplessness, or hopelessness which can border on a feeling of despair, the second response is essential. Act. Do something to help stop Putin and end the war.
By maintaining an awareness of what is going on, you have already begun to act. Now, you can take the action further. You can write your Congressman and Senator and urge them to become involved in strengthening President Biden’s foreign policy team. You can urge them to hold hearings on the conduct of the war, and what U.S. policy should be regarding the terms of any ceasefire or peace negotiations. You can ask them to press the Biden administration to articulate the stakes in the conflict.
Or just ask them to become actively involved, and to report back to their constituents every week or two.
You can write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, and urge the paper’s editors to cover the issues outlined above, and the positions of your Representatives and Senators on each of them. You can urge your local radio and TV stations to cover these issues more completely.
You can provide support to individuals or organizations which are fighting to oppose Putin. You can make contributions to humanitarian aid programs. You may be able to help Ukrainian refugees resettling in the United States or other countries. You may brainstorm and come up with other ways to act.
Now all of these actions need not be taken every day. But do just one, when you feel the need to act.
So, I see we have strayed pretty far from our goal of forgetting the war in Ukraine. Maybe that goal is not really the best goal for you. You must try to find and strike the right balance, a balance that works for you.
One way to think about this is to ask yourself what you would want your children or younger people you know to do.
Maybe one form of action would be to discuss these issues with friends and family, taking care to explore issues while avoiding strong confrontations and arguments. The secret would be to try to get a sincere and candid conversation going where people feel free to say what they really think, and then reflect on what others have to say.
In a word, this form of action would have as its goal the conduct of civil discourse.
If we follow these two steps, we may not be able to forget the war in Ukraine, but we can limit its negative impact on our spirit while acting to do something that might contribute to wise policy and action by our government, and those of other countries.
In striking the right balance, we can bear in mind the following quotation from the Talmud, cited by Erich Fromm in his classic study of responses to totalitarianism, Escape from Freedom (1941):
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am for myself only, what am I?
If not now, when?
—Talmudic saying, Mishnah, Abot
Good article overall.
Before you send this out to any newspaper or other public forum I would like to read why it matters to each of us...many if not most people don't comprehend the importance of such large issues on their small life/world.
Your intense concern and passion are laudable. So keep going.