The strength of the human spirit!

Many of have probably heard about the Ukrainian Government making a sudden flip-flop on its pro-European aspirations, and has decided it will not be signing the Association Agreement at a summit in Vilnus next week. Many of the people of Ukraine feel betrayed by the government and have decided to take to the central squares of all the major cities in Ukraine in protest.

This happened on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the beginning of the Orange (R)evolution a day which had become know as Freedom Day. There is plenty material out there in the English Language his recent bit of civil protest that has just started and should be growing, but if you want to know more n the background of what this is all about you can search Twitter for the hashtag #450UA you will be able to find links to English language materials on Ukraine and then search for Association Agreement or Europe and Ukraine together. There is a good deal of material on what has happened, though what I want to share with you is about the strength of the human spirit.

The following is something a journalist acquaintance of mine, Marichka Padalko, posted on her Facebook wall a short while ago in Ukrainian. I will translate it for my English speaking friends below, but this is worth knowing about and really tells you something about the human spirit.

"З вражень дня... Переходжу Хрещатик в бік Монумента через підземний перехід близько шостої вечора. Переді мною сходами підіймається невисокий хлопець, він тримається за перила, і кожен крок йому дається дуже важко, ноги ікс-ом, плутаються, схоже, ДЦП. Перша думка - допомогти, бо прямо боляче на нього дивитися. Друга - звичайно, не чіпати, хлопець дає собі раду сам і, напевно, цим пишається. Він таки підіймається нагору, а на вулиці ......дістає з кишені свого чорного плаща синьо-жовтий прапор і загортає в нього свої розправлені плечі. Хлопець йшов на Майда..."

"Impressions of the day... I was crossing Khreschatyk towards the Monument via the pedestrian underpass at about six in the evening. In front of me was a young man of small stature, he is holding the hand rail, and it seems to me that every step is extremely difficult for him, his legs are crossed, kind of mixed up, it seemed that he was afflicted by something like cerebral palsy. My first thought - was to help him, because it pained me to watch him. My second - of course was, to leave him alone, as he seemed to be coping just fine, and his probably very proud of himself. He continues upward and makes his way up to the street... he reaches into the pocket of his black jacket and pulls out an azure-yellow flag and drapes it over his straigtened shoulders. This guy was heading to Maydan..."

If that one person with his physical difficulties could do it, why can't any other Ukrainian who has the aspiration in being part of Europe where the rule of law exists. Ukraine has a lot of work to do, but the robber barons seem to want to just plunder more of the nation's wealth while they are in power. While they look down at the people they are supposed to be serving. The current government of Azarov has to go, and they should be tried by a tribunal of unbribable judges in the European Court of Human Rights for everything they had done since usurping power.


Vasyl Pawlowsky
Independent Consultant