Thoughts on the War and the Election

Victims of the war in Ukraine, October, 2022. (The Guardian)

 

"The operator of Kyiv’s energy grid has announced a series of 'stabilisation' power cuts following Russian strikes on key infrastructure on Saturday. More than a million households were left without electricity after strikes on energy facilities across Ukraine." (From The Guardian, this morning) 

Here I am in America. My life is fine and happy. Perhaps I allow myself to be protected by a bubble of American privilege and obliviousness to other people's problems, locally and globally. The suffering of the war victims in Ukraine increases every day as they are subjected to more and more attacks on civilian infrastructure and lives, but many other people around the globe are also experiencing worsening quality of life.

Although my life is ok, I have a continuing dread of current events and coming problems. Like many people, I often avoid thinking about the disasters that are looming before my country and the entire planet, some caused by climate change, some by human cruelty, greed, or carelessness. Droughts and floods and hurricanes have damaged or destroyed homes, farms, irrigation sources, and more. Crops have failed in some places, supply chain issues from a few years ago have not entirely been resolved, and the war in Ukraine has driven prices of wheat, fuel, and energy to new highs. Around the world, people are affected, with many populations facing severe hardships. 

Mostly in my blog, I don't mention these things, but today is different.

The War Continues: Brutality Never Stops

Reading about the brutal and intentional destruction of Ukrainian homes, schools, playgrounds, power stations, general infrastructure, and above all destruction of human lives has become too painful. I think many Americans and Europeans have become totally weary of learning of the evils being inflicted on innocent children and parents and civilians by Russian aggression and depravity. Unfortunately this weariness isn’t helpful to anyone and the savage attacks and threats of worse warfare methods, including nuclear weapons, is now unbearable. It’s tempting to just look away. The Europeans, perhaps more than Americans here, are showing signs of impatience and loss of sympathy for the Ukrainian victims because the war makes them fear for their own well-being.

Consider this prediction of suffering that looms in the lives of Ukrainians, even those far from the current battlegrounds:

“While Ukrainians have endured cuts to water and all manner of other services, fears about heat are now primary. The World Health Organization has warned of the potential for a spiraling humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, where lack of access to fuel or electricity ‘could become a matter of life or death.’” (NYT October 21)

Here are two murals from recent news sources, which illustrate the Russian aggressive spirit, and the Ukrainian determination to take back their country. Murals can be a window into how people are viewing their situation. First here: a Russian military mural. Then: two recent Ukrainian murals.

In Russia, they glorify their transgressions against humanity. This mural in Moscow honors soldiers.
But I think of those soldiers looting, raping, brutalizing children, and breaking international law. (source)

"A fresh painting photographed on October 18 on a battle-scarred wall in Kupyansk, a town in the northeast of Ukraine recently recaptured
by Ukrainian forces. The text reads 'We will multiply the love in the world, and for this we will win!'"
From "Paintings And Propaganda: The Art Motivated By War In Ukraine"

"The entrance to a coffee shop is decorated with posters depicting female Ukrainian warriors in Velyka Kostromka,
a village in eastern Ukraine on October 13." (Same source)

American Democracy May Fail

Like the war, the US November election is becoming too depressing to talk about, write about, read about, or even think about. Democracy is under threat, and the main issue people focus on is the price of gas — over which the elected officials have virtually no control. In Michigan, the issues are the same as everywhere: do we want to lose the power of the vote to candidates who have vowed to nullify any future election, keeping their party in power no matter what the people vote for. The Michigan ballot also contains a proposition to protect human rights — that is, to prevent legislation prohibiting abortion.

Ann Arbor’s iconic Rock, a kind of living mural, has multiple messages painted on it. It urges
a yes vote on Michigan Proposition 3 to protect women’s choices of their own medical care.

Well, that's my depressing set of thoughts for the day. Tomorrow will be better -- at least on the blog!

 

Shared with Sami's weekly mural collections. 

Blog post © 2022 mae sander