Overwhelmingness

Overwhelmingness. I’m a writer, and I know this is not a word. But I made it up, to convey the sense of what I see and hear and know is going on. The devastation of the invasion of Ukraine is so enormous, as are the death and suffering it generates. The confusing mixture of feelings and emotions I have, from anger to frustration to helplessness.

The change in perspective that happens overnight. The young woman who arrives to the Refugee Camp in Kosice with her son and mother. A few weeks ago she was wondering whether she would buy a red or a yellow dress for summer. Now she is dealing with survival and is wonders where she will go next, whether her son would ever see his father–who had stayed behind to find for his country–again. I recall reading that when poet Walt Whitman was young, he cared for Civil War victims, many of whom had lost limbs. He wrote his mother something to the effect of “Nothing WE call ‘trouble’ seems worth talking about.”

Kosice, Slovakia is the nation’s second biggest city, with about 240,000 people (see photo at dusk). The entire country has only 5 million people, compared to 38 million in Poland.) It is a vibrant, urbane, attractive city. So many young people. A hip bar scene. (There’s a Pilsner Urquell Pub and a Cigar Bar.) Just 60 miles (96 km) from the Ukraine border, it is a key transit location: of refugees heading ,to other points in Europe, and of goods heading east, into Ukraine, from food and water to medical supplies. So many dedicated people are doing good, over and above their busy regular lives. little steps that make a difference.

I think of the story of the little boy and the starfish, which made a real impression when I heard it. It seems so fitting today. I attach a copy of it below. (There are slightly different versions.) I also came across a powerful video that a Ukrainian Facebook Friend had posted. Take three minutes to watch it. In my next blog, to follow soon, I will be more specific in what I’m finding and doing, also just one “starfish at a time.” I’m including a map of Slovakia again, so you can find Kosice on the right/east side of the country.