The dreadful nightmare my country has been experiencing since February 2022 is hard to imagine, especially for those observing it from their peaceful homes and “watching” it as if it were a war movie.
Well, I believe it will become an Oscar-worth movie one day.
And yet, it will hardly communicate the whole spectrum of emotions and the true extent of that genocidal disaster the people of Ukraine go through, struggling with the beast willing to erase their entire nation.
I must confess 2022 alone taught me much more than years in school, university, and books. And I thank Medium for the opportunity to share this list of 52 things I learned during the last 365 days here:
- You are much stronger than you or the people around you may think.
- The war in Ukraine is not putin’s but russians’.
- You can’t look for good russians and tolerate the enemy while its representatives are on your land, killing your compatriots and bombing your home.
- No matter how tolerant you are, the moment comes when you need to “choose a side.”
- It’s okay to feel bad and talk about it: It’s not about complaining but being a human with feelings.
- You don’t need much to be happy.
- Learn to appreciate everything you have today because it can be gone tomorrow. Literally.
- Spend more time with parents, or at least call/message them every day: Imagine them occupied by guys with weapons, having no internet and mobile access, and with no opportunity to leave.
- If you have electricity, water, heating, and a mobile connection in your home, you’re the luckiest one in the world.
- It’s not as scary to live under bombs and missiles as to see your land invaded by murderers who came to kill you and destroy everything around you anyway.
- Hatred is not destructive when you steer it in the right direction: It can become your fuel to fight, create, and help others around you.
- It was a huge mistake to continue friendship or business relations with people from russia after 2014.
- It’s wrong to believe “It’s putin, not russians,” as some people from other countries continue thinking: It’s not putin who bomb and kill, rape and rob, but ordinary russians supporting all that and laughing at Ukrainians’ genocide.
- Those leaving russia aren’t victims of putin’s regime who are against the war. They are against their mobilization and direct participation in the war, but they are fine to support their president from abroad.
- If you want to understand russia’s true nature and intentions toward Ukraine and the whole world, watch Timothy Snyder’s Yale course, The Making of Modern Ukraine.
- You are not alone: There’ll always be kind people to help you. Just ask.
- The snow outside is not only about Christmas, cozy sofas, cacao, and all of that; it’s about cold, darkness, and extra problems our warriors and country have because of f***ing russia.
- Victim blaming is still on the rise. For many, Ukraine turned out to be guilty of not giving up and fighting for its independence. Hundreds of killed and thousands of orphaned Ukrainian children are to blame for someone not getting grain and having to pay a few more dollars for gasoline.
- It turned out that “Russia must not be humiliated in Ukraine.” I’m sorry, what? Should we condone a terrorist attacking, killing, robbing, and raping a neighboring sovereign state, invading its territory, and committing genocide against its population?
- Always help those who can’t help themselves: Feed animals, donate to shelters, adopt a pet (or two) rather than buy one.
- Don’t take anything proposed for free if you don’t actually need it. Leave it for others: Maybe it can help them survive.
- Learn new things, and don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never done before.
- Don’t run from enemies and problems: They’ll find you wherever you are.
- As long as there is at least a 0.01% chance of a successful outcome, don’t give up. It’s better to try than blame yourself for not even trying.
- Your country’s national flag is much more than just a piece of cloth. Be proud of the opportunity to have it at home with no risk of being killed for having it.
- It’s normal and logical to be a rational nationalist in your country. Don’t let any propagandist call it nazism and manipulate you with that.
- Every day brings something good for you: Learn to notice little things that really matter.
- Start a journal, practice freewriting, or try therapeutic writing: It’s a great instrument to reflect, observe your thoughts and feelings, control emotions, and see how your mental condition goes.
- Your whole life can fit into one backpack.
- If you still can’t drive a car — learn it!
- Nothing awful will happen if you spend a day or two (or even three) without the internet.
- Sometimes things that seem like an end can actually be a beginning.
- No one owes you anything, so stop waiting for justice from the world. Nothing personal, just business.
- There are some things you won’t change through peaceful negotiations. Don’t waste your energy trying to negotiate or change the mind of someone who doesn’t (and isn’t even going to) listen to you.
- Walk every day to see how beautiful is the life around you.
- No matter how bad your day or week is, remember to care for yourself: sleep and eat well — you’ll need the energy to change everything for good tomorrow.
- It is okay to miss the past that will never return.
- Don’t be afraid to make a choice, be responsible for it, and be yourself.
- Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn.
- Everything can happen, even if logics and all experts in the world say it won’t.
- Brave aren’t those with no fear but those who keep going in spite of it.
- Travel as often as you can: Diving in new languages and diverse cultures, you open your mind and understand our world better.
- Superheroes aren’t those from Marvel or DC; they are ordinary people who know what they want and they stand for it.
- We are strong when we’re together.
- Respect the people and cultures of other countries; don’t turn into russians screaming they’re the best. They aren’t. And you aren’t the best, either.
- Filter the information you get from the internet. Grow your critical thinking skills.
- Read books and watch documentaries: Learn about your ancestors to understand the reasons for what happens to you and your homeland today.
- Be grateful. You can find even the slightest reason for a sincere “thank you” right now.
- Stay with people who love and respect you; don’t be afraid to say goodbye to those who don’t support you. Even if they are your relatives.
- Be careful with your Christmas wishes: They can come true, but not the way you want them to.
- Grow up, after all! (But remember to please your inner child from time to time.) :)
- We live once. Positive thinking is critical, but you never know when and how your life abrupts. So, don’t postpone it for tomorrow.
I’m happy to hear from you! Feel free to read my Writing Breeze, follow me on Twitter, or say hi on LinkedIn.
Happy 2023!
