Yesterday

Today, we live at the monumental intersection of ages. The momentum of contemporary progress is rushing so intensively through our hands. Everyday, global stress is growing higher, questioning the brawe future of a mankind. In this desperate struggle of geopolitics, world superpowers are carelessly violate all set principles of international relations, rapidly approaching the establishment of unipolar world in every way. Nevertheless, this cold war of informational age, forced many nations to leave their hopes for prosperity forevermore. When unjust burden of self-identification that was ripping my homeland apart, have been forced upon my unsure heart, I’ve asked myself the most difficult questions, with a single aim: to understand the goal of this universal struggle and find my role in it.

In 2014, I’ve been looking how this formidable road to prosperity have been breaking my fellow countrymen with their every attempt to draw life from their hope. The whole world have been looking to those events, but like with genocide in Rwanda, international community played their smallest role in the germination of the conflict, making Ukrainian soil a giant chess board for superpowers to determine the future of the world. As a true patriot of this land, I’ve always believed that the strongest representation of men are in their fidelity to the people they are responsible for. Therefore, as a volunteer, I’ve decided to make my tiny contribution in the realisation of national desire for peace and happiness. Together with my peers, under the flag of “Union of Combat veterans of Anti-Terrorist operation” I’ve played my modest role in helping people, who by the mercy of faith became victims of geopolitics. To do so, we’ve collected humanitarian aid (everything who could gather, from bandages to medical equipment) for the wounded soldiers in Vinnytsia region military hospital. But what really reshaped my perception of the world was one single conversation.

One day, when as many times before, we brought medical supplies in large shabby bags to the hospital, I saw a man that was waiting in incessant line to see his doctor. His right eye was bandaged by the yellowed gauze and instead of his left leg he had a poorly made prosthesis. When his sight fell on me and my friends, his face expressed a clear happiness. This moment forever sunk into my soul, as I was curious how a man so battered and so downtrodden by the fate and society could show basic signs of happiness. For a moment we have stared at each other without saying a word. When was called by the nurse that the doctor already left and will be able to look at him only in one month, with smile on his face he heavily leaned on his crutches started leaving the building. Without thinking, I’ve asked him how come is he so persistent to smile in the face of misfortune? With the same smile, he answered me that “It is the duty of the people to preserve the dignity of the nation”. This simple words engraved on the surface of my heart, that I didn't even noticed how the old man left.

It took me a while to truly understand the meaning of his words. But time have passed, and now I understand that it is our responsibility to establish fundamental principles of a new, greater society in which our kids will be confident in the solidarity and stability of their future. This ideas follows all my decisions and actions in life. Wherever I may be, I will always make my greater commitment to the society I live in. In my lifepath, many called me a dreamer. If a dreamer is a man who believes in the equality of opportunity and in the great commitment of every man in the building of a great society, then yes, I am a dreamer, and believe that united, mankind is capable for many things, both great and timeless.