Russia’s invasions of Ukraine’s northern regions and seashores are unconscionable by any measure I can imagine. Putin’s greed and his lack of empathy for civilians, especially women and children, are on full display to all but the Russian people whose information comes solely from state radio and television stations. And Putin is only 69 years old, making possible a long future as leader of the country.

I am daily impressed with the resilience of the Ukrainian people, the brave positions taken by soldiers who have urged their families to leave their homes until it becomes safe for them to return. The citizen soldiers, some of them young women, have taken on roles they are equipped only by their zeal and fortitude to engage in. 

The beautiful children whose lives have been forever scarred break my heart. Someone wrote the other day asking how women in this country would feel if all the men were to be drawn into a destructive war that provides little chance of survival. The warriors seem committed to a cause that will likely be futile. David and Goliath.

I admire President Zelensky who has risen to the occasion with courage, wisdom, and apparent willingness to see it through, whatever that may mean. 

If this escalates to a world-wide battle, involving too many countries with nuclear capabilities, some with tyrannical leaders, all motivated by a greed similar to Putin’s, we in this country will not be on the sidelines, across an ocean, out of harm’s way. I pray a solution short of WWIII can be found. 

A secondary concern is that fossil fuels are a prime motivator in this mess. I have been tentatively encouraged by baby steps being taken to save our world from a continued assault on its resources, the warming of the seas, and escalation of destructive storms, fires, and droughts. Maybe this is a topic for another day.