Years ago, during the intifada (can’t remember which one), I saw a report by Bob Simon on 60 Minutes that described the heightened level of romance elicited by being under constant threat of attack. The experience apparently focuses the mind on what’s important, debris be damned. I shouldn’t have, but for just a moment I felt envious of the Israelis and wondered why we humans seem unable to retain an edgy appreciation for what matters when our needs are being met.
I said the same thing, didn’t I? If you’re taking issue with my comment, so be it. But I never meant to, and never did, suggest that the Ukrainians should give a damn about my personal musings of the human condition.
I cannot think of a better message about the future of a nation than to see two young people make a public declaration of their devotion to each other and faith in a better future amid the ruins of a city that has been nearly destroyed by Putin.
In our modern era we tend to abandon concepts such as faith, devotion to duty and family, and seem to refuse to admit we know only a tiny fraction of what makes up our physical world.
I wish the dentist and the oncology nurse a life filled with love and faith and service.
Thanks greatly for this link! The human spirit is indomitable.
As for America's troubles, we are not a self-governing people anymore. We live in an oligarchy, encastled in a few states on each coast; therin we have allowed the ruin of our Republic, and as in Ancient Greek drama, Medea will have her revenge for the injuries we've allowed to befall Lady Liberty. Who of us is without sin?
The personal tragedy in time of war is heartbreaking. It is also, at times, a celebration of life, even when surrounded by death and destruction. The author of the New Testament of Hebrews noted that until the very day of the flood, people celebrated weddings. That story of the flood itself offered the hope that disgusted as God can become at the folly of men, He yet makes provision for salvation. It's a good thing that He does, otherwise we would have become extinct long ago.
I'm congratulating the happy couple on their lovely wedding, and the people of Ukraine for their fierce and continuing resistance to a Putin takeover. Beyond that, they deserve the respect of me not going off on tangents about U.S. political issues. Mazel tov to the happy couple.
This gave me so much hope for all those whose futures with their sweethearts are in question.
The weekend this whole disaster started, I attended a local rally with my service dog—a welsh corgi. I met a young man who had barely gotten his US citizenship and the day before war broke out in Ukraine, applied for a fiancé visa for his girlfriend.
He stopped me because he wanted to meet my dog, so I gladly took him off duty for a bit. He told me his story: They wanted to marry, get two corgis of their own, live their version of the American dream—but that was now all up in the air. She was considering staying to fight, and he was considering returning to join her.
I said that she seemed like an amazing person and I could only imagine why he fell in love with her. He responded, “It was so easy,” and wept.
I let him play with my dog for a few more minutes. We hugged. I still pray they can be reunited and live out their dream.
Inspiring story. My in-laws were married in Budapest, in fatigues according to family legend, just after the 1956 Revolution failed. Then they fled the country because of their roles in the now failed revolution. May the Ukrainians prevail and may Ana and Anton live happily ever after.
Bari, I would like to thank you, and your contributors, for keeping on writing about the current events in Ukraine. I am appalled that after all promises of "never again" the world not only allows this horror to happen, but the "enlightened" western nations keep financially supporting the Russian military machine by buying their oil and gas. The current sanctions are half-hearted and don't make enough of a difference. That the West still did not start supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons that they need in order to take back their territory and free their people from this horror is something I can't wrap my head around. Every day that goes by means more killings, more rape, more torture, and more suffering. I know that it's too easy to shrug our shoulders and ignore this horrific tragedy. But we need to keep shouting from the rooftops about the atrocities that are being perpetrated at this very moment, and do everything each of us can to put a stop to them, as quickly as we can. I want to add that as someone whose native language is Russian and who grew up on Russian culture, I cannot wrap my head around the evil insanity that is currently gripping the Russian community. I can read their newspapers and opinions and watch their videos, and they make me sick to my stomach. I thought this mass insanity only happened to germans in WWII or in Orwell's books. How can people with whom I share my culture, and whom I thought I knew and understood well, behave in this way is something I can't grasp. For those who can read Russian or can get an English translation here is an example of a typical drivel (in a government newspaper): https://ria.ru/20220403/ukraina-1781469605.html
The condition of modern Russia, is I believe, the legacy of revolution and Bolshevism. Seventy-plus years of "scientific socialism" destroyed Russian civil society. Nothing was allowed to exist outside the party-state. Thus when the party-state fell there was nothing to replace it. That's why today Russia has Putinism, a kind of shambling, zombie-like shadow of Stalinism.
Okay, this is the second one in a row that's more emotion than actual information people can use to judge what's going on in Ukraine and decide for themselves if what our leaders are doing here is helping or hurting the situation. You want to be informative, be informative. We get enough of this sentimental war mongering on the evening news.
As someone else says below, there are plenty of wars going on (many of them, including this one, the fault of the US leadership), but I don't see lovely little stories about weddings from any of the others. Why is that? Scared to humanize the open air slave markets in Libya that we created or the mess we've left behind in Afghanistan? How about the starving people in Yemen from the Saudi aggression the US is funding? Or the occupation of Syria? You want to "humanize" those stories? Has anyone noticed? Have you done a "human" story on trying to grow up in the West Bank or Gaza lately? And why no harder hitting pieces on the history of Ukraine for even the last eight years, the history of NATO and its misuse, and US meddling worldwide in general? I'm starting to think you're just established media lite.
I'm surprised you even believe this couple got really married in ruins, that it's probably fake - considering your belief that all that rubble is caused by the Ukrainians themselves (yesterday's story).
I think it's a war and I think when your military hides in buildings the other military will reduce them to rubble, just like the US military has done in countless places. I know, to people like you those other places don't exist in your minds, or they had it coming, or something equally ridiculous, but I'm unsure why I should care about what Putin does in the Ukraine and who gets married in "rubble" if you can't seem to bring yourselves to care about what our own military is pimped out to do and for whom.
Oh good grief. No doubt US military has done terrible things, though an actual example might add something to your comment besides rage. Whatever happened to make you so callous, I’m genuinely sorry.
The media made me jaded, but people like you make me callous. "No doubt . . ." Yup, it's just fine when our side does it, but when those other people do it, alert the International Criminal Court (which the US is not a party to, did you know that? We made sure it didn't apply to us.).
The Ukraine is in the situation it is because of US leadership, and US leadership is what it is because US citizenry are always so blind to what they are doing and will excuse anything "our side" does.
I am paying to be informed, not propagandized. If I wanted to hear endless emotional stories to drive me to the consensus of the warmongering elite, I wouldn't bother coming on Substack. I'd turn on any of the regular news stations.
As an American I simply believe that our national conversation has been so sensationalized, propagandized and disconnected from actual cause and effect reality that the opportunity to remove the middle man and directly support ethical journalism should be celebrated and expanded. I don't think any of us are 'SO SURE' of the solution to the chaos America is experiencing but articles by Substack authors and the links and opinions shared provide me a much better barometer than what we call the MSM. At some point there will be an all out attack on the Substack platform and if we lose the silence will deafen us all.
Please tell Anton and Anastasia we would happily host them for their honeymoon amidst the sun and palm trees of Sarasota, FL.
Maybe there is hope after all!
Years ago, during the intifada (can’t remember which one), I saw a report by Bob Simon on 60 Minutes that described the heightened level of romance elicited by being under constant threat of attack. The experience apparently focuses the mind on what’s important, debris be damned. I shouldn’t have, but for just a moment I felt envious of the Israelis and wondered why we humans seem unable to retain an edgy appreciation for what matters when our needs are being met.
Priorities shift when you aren’t 5000 miles away from people who want to kill you.
The people of Ukraine have no time for our ridiculous first world problems and rightly so.
Real existential crisis tend to focus the mind.
I said the same thing, didn’t I? If you’re taking issue with my comment, so be it. But I never meant to, and never did, suggest that the Ukrainians should give a damn about my personal musings of the human condition.
Not taking issue, no.
Agreeing with you, that they have real problems compared to us.
Sorry about that. I misread comments sometimes. Appreciate you letting me know.
nothing to apologize for, sometimes its difficult online to determine intent
I cannot think of a better message about the future of a nation than to see two young people make a public declaration of their devotion to each other and faith in a better future amid the ruins of a city that has been nearly destroyed by Putin.
In our modern era we tend to abandon concepts such as faith, devotion to duty and family, and seem to refuse to admit we know only a tiny fraction of what makes up our physical world.
I wish the dentist and the oncology nurse a life filled with love and faith and service.
Thanks greatly for this link! The human spirit is indomitable.
As for America's troubles, we are not a self-governing people anymore. We live in an oligarchy, encastled in a few states on each coast; therin we have allowed the ruin of our Republic, and as in Ancient Greek drama, Medea will have her revenge for the injuries we've allowed to befall Lady Liberty. Who of us is without sin?
Uplifting story. I'm amazed at the resilience people demonstrate when they choose joy, happiness and love - even in the most difficult times.
The personal tragedy in time of war is heartbreaking. It is also, at times, a celebration of life, even when surrounded by death and destruction. The author of the New Testament of Hebrews noted that until the very day of the flood, people celebrated weddings. That story of the flood itself offered the hope that disgusted as God can become at the folly of men, He yet makes provision for salvation. It's a good thing that He does, otherwise we would have become extinct long ago.
I'm congratulating the happy couple on their lovely wedding, and the people of Ukraine for their fierce and continuing resistance to a Putin takeover. Beyond that, they deserve the respect of me not going off on tangents about U.S. political issues. Mazel tov to the happy couple.
Awesome story ! Thank you.
It was. Great choice CS
This gave me so much hope for all those whose futures with their sweethearts are in question.
The weekend this whole disaster started, I attended a local rally with my service dog—a welsh corgi. I met a young man who had barely gotten his US citizenship and the day before war broke out in Ukraine, applied for a fiancé visa for his girlfriend.
He stopped me because he wanted to meet my dog, so I gladly took him off duty for a bit. He told me his story: They wanted to marry, get two corgis of their own, live their version of the American dream—but that was now all up in the air. She was considering staying to fight, and he was considering returning to join her.
I said that she seemed like an amazing person and I could only imagine why he fell in love with her. He responded, “It was so easy,” and wept.
I let him play with my dog for a few more minutes. We hugged. I still pray they can be reunited and live out their dream.
Thank you for sharing that Kathleen.
Inspiring story. My in-laws were married in Budapest, in fatigues according to family legend, just after the 1956 Revolution failed. Then they fled the country because of their roles in the now failed revolution. May the Ukrainians prevail and may Ana and Anton live happily ever after.
Bari, I would like to thank you, and your contributors, for keeping on writing about the current events in Ukraine. I am appalled that after all promises of "never again" the world not only allows this horror to happen, but the "enlightened" western nations keep financially supporting the Russian military machine by buying their oil and gas. The current sanctions are half-hearted and don't make enough of a difference. That the West still did not start supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons that they need in order to take back their territory and free their people from this horror is something I can't wrap my head around. Every day that goes by means more killings, more rape, more torture, and more suffering. I know that it's too easy to shrug our shoulders and ignore this horrific tragedy. But we need to keep shouting from the rooftops about the atrocities that are being perpetrated at this very moment, and do everything each of us can to put a stop to them, as quickly as we can. I want to add that as someone whose native language is Russian and who grew up on Russian culture, I cannot wrap my head around the evil insanity that is currently gripping the Russian community. I can read their newspapers and opinions and watch their videos, and they make me sick to my stomach. I thought this mass insanity only happened to germans in WWII or in Orwell's books. How can people with whom I share my culture, and whom I thought I knew and understood well, behave in this way is something I can't grasp. For those who can read Russian or can get an English translation here is an example of a typical drivel (in a government newspaper): https://ria.ru/20220403/ukraina-1781469605.html
The condition of modern Russia, is I believe, the legacy of revolution and Bolshevism. Seventy-plus years of "scientific socialism" destroyed Russian civil society. Nothing was allowed to exist outside the party-state. Thus when the party-state fell there was nothing to replace it. That's why today Russia has Putinism, a kind of shambling, zombie-like shadow of Stalinism.
Marxist 'woke' is the lipstick on a pig called Totalitarian Finance.
In news closer to home, "the Big Guy" says he's sure that Hunter didn't break the law.
Fact Checkers say he is 10% correct.
"10% correct, so.... a lie?"
"False. 10% correct equates to 'partly true'."
"The Big Guy" .... "10%" ....
The indomitable human spirit! What a sweet story. It’s 06:30 where I live, and this has already made my day. Mazel tov!
Okay, this is the second one in a row that's more emotion than actual information people can use to judge what's going on in Ukraine and decide for themselves if what our leaders are doing here is helping or hurting the situation. You want to be informative, be informative. We get enough of this sentimental war mongering on the evening news.
As someone else says below, there are plenty of wars going on (many of them, including this one, the fault of the US leadership), but I don't see lovely little stories about weddings from any of the others. Why is that? Scared to humanize the open air slave markets in Libya that we created or the mess we've left behind in Afghanistan? How about the starving people in Yemen from the Saudi aggression the US is funding? Or the occupation of Syria? You want to "humanize" those stories? Has anyone noticed? Have you done a "human" story on trying to grow up in the West Bank or Gaza lately? And why no harder hitting pieces on the history of Ukraine for even the last eight years, the history of NATO and its misuse, and US meddling worldwide in general? I'm starting to think you're just established media lite.
Lillia I hope they will add a story about girls not being allowed in school in Afghanistan anymore. What a tragedy that is.
I'm surprised you even believe this couple got really married in ruins, that it's probably fake - considering your belief that all that rubble is caused by the Ukrainians themselves (yesterday's story).
I think it's a war and I think when your military hides in buildings the other military will reduce them to rubble, just like the US military has done in countless places. I know, to people like you those other places don't exist in your minds, or they had it coming, or something equally ridiculous, but I'm unsure why I should care about what Putin does in the Ukraine and who gets married in "rubble" if you can't seem to bring yourselves to care about what our own military is pimped out to do and for whom.
Oh good grief. No doubt US military has done terrible things, though an actual example might add something to your comment besides rage. Whatever happened to make you so callous, I’m genuinely sorry.
The media made me jaded, but people like you make me callous. "No doubt . . ." Yup, it's just fine when our side does it, but when those other people do it, alert the International Criminal Court (which the US is not a party to, did you know that? We made sure it didn't apply to us.).
The Ukraine is in the situation it is because of US leadership, and US leadership is what it is because US citizenry are always so blind to what they are doing and will excuse anything "our side" does.
Maybe you should consider writing a Substack column yourself since you’re so sure of how it’s to be done.
I am paying to be informed, not propagandized. If I wanted to hear endless emotional stories to drive me to the consensus of the warmongering elite, I wouldn't bother coming on Substack. I'd turn on any of the regular news stations.
As an American I simply believe that our national conversation has been so sensationalized, propagandized and disconnected from actual cause and effect reality that the opportunity to remove the middle man and directly support ethical journalism should be celebrated and expanded. I don't think any of us are 'SO SURE' of the solution to the chaos America is experiencing but articles by Substack authors and the links and opinions shared provide me a much better barometer than what we call the MSM. At some point there will be an all out attack on the Substack platform and if we lose the silence will deafen us all.
Yep. The ghost's of Christmas past standing at the foot of the American bed and the band sleeps on.
That's like a Game of Thrones story or something