“The history ( that repeats itself ) prevents me from sleeping at night”

5000 miles away or thereabouts from NYC , 10 miles from my Grandmother ‘s hometown, in Deliatin, another war has begun.

Although , since 1939 the perpetrator’s face has changed (he is also no longer clad in uniform and mnemonics ). Similarly to the previous heads of state , this political heir seems to be like a hungry ghost whose huge appetite is unlikely to be suppressed. In a nutshell, the modern charismatic hybrid is a former FSB agent, hockey enthusiast and equestrian master, with tweaks of botox here and there. The question, that prevents me from sleeping at night, is how we created the monster.

Being a granddaughter of war survivors, I am familiar with the long term ramifications of being faced with unspeakable horrors . These experiences may leave deep scars in the body and psyche, and may pass from one generation to another.

Tourists visiting Poland and our neighbor country Ukraine , are often overwhelmed by quantity of food put on one’s plate. The truth is that if someone lives in survival mode, sharing the meals often becomes one of the few ways to express love.

When I used to open my grandmother’s kitchen cupboard, staring at the a long gone expired food, I understood the real meaning behind the expression , “we need to save food for rainy days” . This phrase might as well be interchangeably used with “ let’s save it in case of another war or famine.”

We often hear , how important it is to learn from the past so that history not to repeat itself .Albeit , how astonishing it is that over the years, different faces of the world leaders, their seductive tone of voices and glossy pictures on social media have erased some historical facts from collective memory. Perhaps for those of us who are of the next generation of war survivors ,it seems “safer” to stay in a state of paralysis than to wake up from a bad dream. Oftentimes, the perpetrators appear as saviors and protectors.

Having read a dozen books about Russia, has made me an avid enthusiast rather than an expert in geopolitical matters. However, I struggle to understand how putting more sanctions could even partially resolve the issue on the bigger scale.

That approach is inviting Putin to take part in tit for tat game that he willing to play regardless of the losses. For Putin, it’s a marathon , not a sprint.

In reality , neither Putin , Biden , elitists nor oligarchs will ever suffer long term repercussions of the inevitable mutual sanctions. The casualties will be among Ukrainians , Russians and the future generations of those, whose unresolved shell shock and long term traumas may affect their lives.

Trauma is handed down through generations. I recall war time stories of grandparents and elders. They were meant as didactic children’s lullabies, to put us to sleep. These stories, however, created fear and encouraged distrust among ourselves. Because when you believe that your life is in the hands of the “state”, it’s easy to create another monster.

P.S I am praying for the resilience of the people affected directly and indirectly by the war. Let’s not forget about countries such as Lebanon ( among many others) which has been subjected of international sanctions. As a result, majority of its citizens live below their means.Lots of Love and light.

P.S 2 I believe we all have a role to play in this world. Artists are blessed with abilities to channel their views ( if they choose to) through varieties of media. Holding knife to the throats of Russian artists in order to make them condemn the government, could be a death sentence. To them , making anti - war statement equals direct damnation of Putin. It's easy to criticize people in power knowing that no one will knock on your door...