I Have Absolutely NO Idea What’s Actually Happening in Ukraine
And neither do you
The other day I opened Google and immediately saw a popup that was asking me to donate money to Ukraine. “You’re the one that has billions of dollars, Google,” I said out loud to myself when I saw it, “Why don’t YOU donate money?” The fact of the matter is that I and 100 of my closest friends, family members and acquaintances couldn’t gather a tiny fraction of what Google could drop and it would barely put a dent in their bottom line. Same thing with Amazon which sports a nice little blue and gold flag, asking me to donate to help Ukraine. This is a joke right? Amazon has more money than God. They have to be just fucking with me now, that’s the only other explanation.
You know what… that’s not true. There are other explanations. They’re either insane, evil or both. I’m going with both.
Ukraine doesn’t have a monopoly on suffering, not by a long shot
Yes, I know, there is some serious human suffering happening In Ukraine and humanitarian aid is needed but there’s human suffering literally everywhere and humanitarian aid is needed literally everywhere. Including right here at home in the good old U.S.A. Companies like Google or Amazon could actually put a massive dent in these issues but as we all know and are still trying to come to grips with, they aren’t going to. Not in a million years are they going to. That’s just the fact of the matter. They could really make an impact and yet they still want me to send my twenty bucks. They’d rather commit their efforts to convincing the rest of us, struggling and broke, how selfish we are for not donating money than actually donating any fraction of the mountains of their own money.
The truth keeps contradicting itself
I hear a lot of conflicting and contradictory information about what’s going on in Ukraine and I see a hell of a lot of people online saying that they “know the truth” and pardon my skepticism but I’m pretty sure that’s just their ego talking. They couldn’t find the place on the map prior to this event, they couldn’t have named one city in this country, they can’t even tell you how to say hello in Russian but by God that doesn’t stop them from appointing themselves as an expert and an authority on the situation. What can I say, welcome to the age of the internet? I’ve been guilty of this too, I’ve caught myself spouting off, egotistically about things that I have no business in and I want to publicly apologize. I’m sorry for speaking to things I had no business in. I’m sorry for appointing myself an armchair expert.
“Two months ago you couldn’t find Urkraine on a map. You probably didn’t even know they spoke Russian and now it’s the most important thing in your life?”
I don’t know what’s actually going on there. I have no idea. I’ve never been to Ukraine, I’ve worked with some teenagers that were adopted out of a Ukrainian orphanage and believe me, they had a bad time there so I’m pretty sure it’s not the happy go lucky place that it’s been painted as. The oldest of these four siblings had to get into fistfights with other kids every day just to ensure that his siblings would eat that day, not to mention fighting off all the older boys trying to sexually assault his sister. Outside of that, I can’t tell you anything about Ukraine. They speak Russian. It’s that way — -> Really far that way. You’ll need a boat to get there. Or an airplane.
A month ago, people wouldn’t have been able to find the country on a map, even if they used all of their lifelines but now it’s the most important thing in their life? They claim to know the truth about what’s going on over there and the human atrocities taking place but, and I’d bet good money on this, they probably have no clue, whatsoever, the extent of the human atrocities in their own communities, their own neighborhoods or even their own streets let alone a country that they just barely heard of.
Statistically, a child on your street is likely being abused and statistically, a teenager is going to commit suicide in your neighborhood within the next couple of years. Honest question, is that important to you? Does that matter to you? Because it honestly should. And why does the situation in Ukraine spark such outrage when horrible things in our communities get ignored? The hypocrisy is incredibly sad.
People claim to know the truth about what’s going on over there despite the mountains of photo and video evidence that’s been proven to be a hoax. That doesn’t stop them from believing the next thing they see without question, naturally, because it aligns with what they already hope to be true. It’s called confirmation bias.
Have you seen that short video of a big ass bomb sitting in someone’s kitchen and the teeny tiny hole in the ceiling that’s kind of above it? Like I’m supposed to believe this enormous piece of hardware… what… slipped through this tiny hole? I’m not saying the war is fake, I’m saying that I’m in absolutely no position to take a stance on it and if I did, it would simply be because my ego wants to be right and yell at people online that I don’t know personally. The human ego is like that, it wants to speak as an authority on matters that it has no business in. But you have to admit, there’s no way you can piece together the “truth” by sitting in your room, smoking pot and scrolling through social media on your phone. Being an expert, as it turns out, is a bit more complex than that.
Some people barely leave their houses but that doesn’t stop them from claiming to know that they know the truth about what’s happening in Ukraine. I guess there’s a video of the Governator talking about what’s happening over there, I have no idea what he’s saying about it, I haven’t watched it, I’ve honestly had my fill of celebrities for one lifetime thank you very much. On the video, someone overlayed a caption: “Truth.” Because a celebrity saying something that I already agree with equals truth? Just more ego.
Think for yourself, please
Come on people, we have to be smarter than this. And we have to be honest about what’s happening right here at home before we get pulled into the chaos of a confusing conflict. I honestly doubt any of us will ever know or completely understand the true nature of everything going on here. One thing I’m more confident about here is that this whole thing has layers and layers of complexity that I don’t know anything about. And neither do you.
But what I do know is this. There are more than enough human atrocities happening in my city, in my neighborhood and on my street that pass without notice. My local area was showing off their support for Ukraine when a big group of people stood on the lawn of the capitol building waving their blue and gold flags around but I’ll bet you if I announced to them that the following week I’d be having a rally for teen suicide, I’d just get some fake and feigned interest, at best. I promise you that I’d be lucky just to get ten of my closest friends and family members to show up. My local area has a very high rate of teen suicide but nobody gives a damn and we’re teaching our kids that a conflict involving people we’ve never met or talked to is more important than their own struggles. No wonder they see themselves as worthless.
Or how about this, take the twenty bucks you would have spent on that flag and buy a ton of socks. Homeless people always need new socks and homeless shelters are always needing donations so how about going and buying a ton of socks instead? It will make a far more actual difference in terms of human suffering than waving around a flag of someplace you hadn’t heard of before. But you won’t, will you? Because that doesn’t get likes on social media.
Hold a rally for Ukraine and everybody shows up, hold a food drive for the local food bank and the only thing you’ll end up delivering is a box of shit that you bought yourself. Believe me, I’ve tried, I’ve had this experience. I’m sure more people would get involved if donating to the food bank made a great Instagram story but it doesn’t.
“I can’t even trust my own emotions, let alone yours.”
Here’s where it gets a bit more precarious. Human beings have a really problematic relationship with what they call truth when every single human being is biased, subjective, confused and experiences their own cognitive dissonances and distortions. I have a hard enough time trusting my own mind and my own emotions let alone the minds and emotions of other people.
I have no idea what’s actually happening in Ukraine but I do know a few things for sure.
I know that people lie. A lot.
I know that people have personal agendas. Everyone has an agenda. Literally everyone. Everything that hits the news has an agenda because it’s ran by people and literally everyone has an agenda including you and including me.
I know that people have serious control issues. Like seriously bad control issues.
I know that the more emotional people are the less objective and rational they are.
I know this Ukrainian situation is pushed by mob behavior and mob behavior never and I do mean never, ages well. We look back at previous mobs and facepalm only to turn around and join one ourselves.
I know that human beings have an intense propensity towards hysteria and the horribly irrational. It makes sense to put all of our attention into the problems in our communities which is precisely why it doesn’t happen. It makes sense.
I know that irrationality and stupidity are things we are always quick to see in everybody else and never ourselves.
I know that my political opinions are stupid and biased. And I know yours are too.
I know that people are incredibly biased. About almost everything. Chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla because I’m biased but that won’t stop me from trying to pass it off as objective truth and labeling you as evil and stupid if you disagree with me.
I know that people are extremely susceptible to hysteria and groupthink. They just see it in everybody else and never themselves.
I also know that our government leaders have a horrible track record of lies and corruption. Horrible track record. And yet I’m supposed to believe now that suddenly they’ve sprouted a conscious? Suddenly just now this bunch is totally altruistic? If you believe that I’ve got a bridge for sale. Seriously, you can turn it into a toll bridge and make a killing. After all, the only important thing anymore is money right? Whoops, sorry, I forgot about Ukraine. How could I honestly forget, I’m such a monster. The only important things anymore are money and Ukraine.
I also know that the world has gone insane and we really just need to slow it down. I also know that it appears as though many of those in the spotlight seem to care more about a country they can’t find on the map than they do about the human suffering all around them.
What’s really important to you?
Look, we’re all stupid, we’re all biased, we’re all irrational and we’re all hypocrites. But we’re also capable of so much good and so much love and all it takes is a choice to be more honest with ourselves and to take more personal accountability. I’m sorry but if Ukraine is the most important thing in your life, you’re a bit lost. There I said it.
Peel yourself away from the mob and the groupthink and maybe rethink your priorities? It’s just a suggestion. I’m just feeling pretty confident that if you show me someone who's really concerned about Ukraine I’ll show you someone whose life is a mess and needs a lot of work. But here’s the real kicker. That’s true for every single one of us. We all need work, our lives all need some straitening up, including my own. We all have some serious house cleaning to do, literally and figuratively. Not only do I have no idea what’s actually happening in Ukraine, I also know it would be extremely hypocritical for me to care about it when there are so many other things right in front of me that need attention and love. Things that are equally important but are things that I can have a positive influence on.
I have absolutely NO idea what’s happening in Ukraine.
And neither do you.
