In Support Of A Better World
While I live in New York City, the digital explosion due to COVID has given me the gift to train pole dancing with incredible talent from all over the world, but mostly Ukraine and Russia. I feel so blessed to be able to work under, and call these insanely passionate hardworking talented people, friends. The Ukrainians and Russians, however, have a huge difference – their government. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very western leaning. He wants to continue with the separation of Ukraine from Russia. He wants Ukraine to join NATO and the EU, clearly for a good reason, and for his country to have a democracy. And then there is Putin, the Stalin of our day. His own people can’t even like a Facebook post opposing Russia’s government without the threat of going to prison.
Early in the morning, on February 24th, Putin invaded Ukraine. My friends were awoken to bombs, their phone lines cut off, and their water ran contaminated. The airports and railways were quickly shut down, and trying to escape became a terrifying traffic jam. Putin was quick and ruthless, but Ukrainians are passionate and resourceful. It feels a bit like a David and Goliath story, and we all pray it ends the same way.
It is important to note that while it is “Russia” invading Ukraine, there is an ever increasing population in Russia that doesn’t want this. Ukraine is like a step sister, or even more to most Russians. Many Russians have family or roots in Ukraine. However, Putin just made it treason to be involved in humanitarian efforts to help Ukraine. Protesting can easily land you in prison. Even just talking about the government in any way that could be considered negative could get you arrested. Yet, these brave people are starting to stand up to this dictatorship!
I ask you: Which county is being run like a Nazi regime? The one whose president is a Jewish descendent from a Holocaust survivor and whose people are fighting with everything they have to keep their freedom, or the country whose people live in constant fear, lies, and have to watch their family and friends die while the law forbids them to help.
I understand the sanctions and agree with them, but at the end of the day they are hurting the Russians who don’t want this war. Maybe these sanctions will help facilitate a much needed revolution in Russia. I would love to find ways that the world could support this. Can you imagine if we can have a world that has Russia in NATO?
