In These Sad Times

 I have to admit, I haven't had much fun lately. My thoughts have been occupied with the Russian invasion into a European country.

Reports from Ukraine have been harrowing. Thousands, - no millions - of people have gotten their lives turned upside down. The thought of ever having a war again in Europe had never carried the sense of reality. Bea and I had just talked about how our generation had been the blessed one, not witnessing any war in Europe since the end of WWII. And then - just out of the blue sky - we got a war again. And just like WWII it has been initiated by a power-hungry crazy-minded dictator. And we feel the desperate situation Europe and NATO is experiencing. Every country's sympathy and empathy is on Ukraine, but aside of sending weapons, can we help Ukraine defeat the Russians? Can Germany send soldiers without losing Russian natural gas to heat German households? And aren't we risking the beginning of WWIII? I think most people are afraid of the conflict spilling over to other countries. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, a membership which is at the core of Putin's angst. Putin is threatening a nuclear war, if the west is putting boots on Ukrainian soil, but he should know that Russia too would not survive a nuclear attack led by the U.S. Meanwhile, Europe is the scared rabbit waiting paralyzed for what is gonna happen. So everybody hopes that negotiations and peace talks can save this world from crashing into the abyss.

Ukrainians have a major advantage against the Russians. For them this war is a threat to their very existence as a free sovereign country. Ukrainians are full of passion for defending their country against the Russian criminal. And it is this passion which is lacking with Russian soldiers. For them this war is not about patriotism. They are simply following the orders of their generals, whose orders again come from Putin directly. Passion is important for winning a war, and I hope that Ukraine will remain a free independent country. Let's pray for that!