Community is not difficult to find. No matter where we go, there it is. We find ourselves shifting between communities all throughout life. Few of them make a lasting impact on us. But, for those that do, we hold onto them. We cherish them. A community can bring you life and clarity. For me, one such community was the large city of Kiev, Ukraine.
Today it is estimated to have 5 million people as residents, and perhaps even more that just live there. However, this community has been altered for over a thousand years and its people have endured it all—from Mongol invasions and Tatar attacks to Russian military control and the Soviets rise to power; from World War II Nazi invasions to the Chernobyl meltdown; from the fall of the Soviet Union to independence again. These are a few points of interest through the community’s long history. It is a history of struggle. It is a history of pain. Most of all, it is a history of survival. It is the type of attitude that you will come across as you talk to its people—perseverance.
It can be difficult to talk with a stranger. They guard themselves from outsiders. It may, at first, appear rude. It is merely a precaution. For most people it can be difficult to initially trust some one else. This stems from the lies, greed, and torture of their most recent history. As one university student informed me, “You don’t understand. You are from America—‘the greatest country in the world.’ You don’t know what it is like to be nothing in the world.” But, underneath this cold front, is endless support and compassion. People are generous and giving far beyond their actual capabilities. They are hospitable to no end. They have hearts that are pure.
The main concern of the community is the future. What is next? Their economy barely flounders above total collapse. Both civic and federal governments are a joke as leaders behave like clowns before the media. The Parliament is often referred to, by locals, as “an animal house.” To top off all the domestic struggling, Russia and Ukraine have recently intensified their standoff. Their biggest challenge, that has followed them through history, has returned—can we survive again? The 2004 Orange Revolution is drifting into the past, but the spirit is still alive. People’s ambitions and hopes have not yet gone. When these people rise together, they can overcome all things. Together they stand.
