Euromaidan: Why Should I Care?

My next post was supposed to be part two in my series about souls.  But I feel moved to write about Euromaidan instead.  This is the name that has been given to the antigovernment protest movement here in Ukraine. 

The protests have turned deadly in the past week.  There are different reports on the numbers killed or injured, and how it happened – this depends on the source of the report – but no one denies that there HAVE been fatalities now among the protesters.  In the past few days, protests have spread from Kyiv to other parts of Ukraine, and government buildings have been occupied in a number of cities.  Things are getting ugly and dangerous, and no one really knows how this is going to turn out.

Last week, like many people, I replaced my profile photos on Facebook and VKontakte with black squares with thin ribbons of blue and gold.  I did this as a small show of support for my many friends and acquaintances here for whom this is a serious and important matter.  And on Facebook, I’ve subscribed to some Euromaidan news services and shared a number of articles and photos.

The other day, an acquaintance noticed I had done this and asked me why.  He was curious to know why I should care about this: it’s not my country, I have the freedom to leave if I want, and (he suggested) it’s not about my life.  So why, he wondered, should I take such an interest in the Euromaidan movement.

My answer at that moment was not as complete as I would have liked, but it moved me to give it more thought and to write about it here.  Although it is relatively quiet in Kharkiv – which is actually a strong bastion of support for the current government and the ruling Party of Regions – I am very concerned about what is happening in the country now.  Here’s why.

More than anything, it is about people – people I know and care deeply about.  Because my concern for these people is the most important reason, I will save that part of the explanation for last.

What it’s About

Just a bit of background for those not here and fully aware of why this is happening.  These protests are not just about Ukrainians being disappointed that the government refused to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union.  Ukrainians want a better country, and many felt that the move toward Europe was their best hope.  So they were rightly outraged when, after several years of pro-Europe rhetoric and negotiations on the agreement, President Yanukovich suddenly decided not to sign it. 

But that was just the spark that lit the fire.  The fuel for the fire is Ukrainians’ long-simmering anger with the lack of real democracy in the country and the overt corruption of the Yanukovich regime and of government at all levels.

Members of the regime and its close associates have enriched themselves in ungodly fashion since Yanukovich won the presidential election in 2010.  Meanwhile, inflation has eaten away at the ability of regular people to keep up in the struggling economy.

And the regular people are fed up with seeing the rich and privileged be able to do whatever they want – even injuring or killing others – and face few or no consequences.  If you have money and friends in the court or other high places, the law doesn’t have to apply to you.  

The politically motivated trial and jailing of the opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko was another overtly lawless act.  She is not a "clean" politician either, and only about half the country supported her in the 2010 election, but nearly everyone recognized her jailing for what it really was: a move to muzzle opposition to the regime.  And this shook people's faith further.

Courts and police exist more to protect the powerful and steal for themselves rather than to "serve and protect" the citizens.  People want real rule of law that protects everyone equally, and they’ve finally had enough of living in a two-tiered legal system.

Of course, the people who have power are desperate to maintain it.  When the people offer no resistance, it’s easy.  But when the people are finally fed up and start to fight back, such a regime can quickly become brutal, especially when they have the police to do the work for them.  The stories from Kyiv and elsewhere of kidnappings, beatings and even killings of protesters and journalists are chilling. 

These crimes are being perpetrated not only by police but by an informal force of athletic young men called “titushki” who are recruited by the government from sport clubs, especially martial arts clubs.  They are high on brawn and low on brains - classic thugs.  These neanderthals are paid the equivalent of $25 to $50 per day to attack peaceful protesters or to discredit the protest movement by pretending to be antigovernment protesters trying to ignite confrontations with police.  Strangely, the titushki are never arrested for their crimes.

Perhaps most galling was the government’s rush passage more than a week ago of a law that essentially bans and criminalizes any antigovernment protest or expression of opposition to the current regime.  The various points of the law range from farcical to Orwellian, and the response has been big and it has been violent.

With these kinds of abuses going on, it’s impossible to stand by quietly forever.

Despite the Warts, Politics are Important

It is understandable that most people prefer to not pay attention to politics.  Politics is often an ugly, nasty thing.  It seems that, by their nature, politicians are greedy, egotistical liars who get into the political swamp only to find personal benefit, mainly in the form of wealth and power.  Of course, there are exceptions – the rare people we look for to rise above cynical self-interests and provide ethical, reasoned leadership for the betterment of the country and its people. 

But, like it or not, politics decides the direction of our lives as parts of the societies in which we live.  Ignore it, and you leave it to others to decide for you.  Participate in some manner, and at least you make an effort to set a better direction for yourself and your family.  If enough like-thinking people get involved, it can make a difference.  This is why I choose to be involved, even if it only means being well informed and perhaps passing some of this information along to others. 

I am very critical of the American government, especially the last two administrations, and most especially the current one.  If I were there, there’s no doubt I’d be an active Tea Party member.  But although the American government is clearly abusing its Constitutional powers, it can’t hold a candle to the gross lawlessness and abuse of people being committed by the government here. 

In the face of such abuse, it’s impossible to stay quiet.  Keeping your head in the sand only makes it easier for others to come along and kick you in the ass.  It’s just my nature to take an interest and to care about such things.

It’s Not My Life?

I have been living more or less regularly in Kharkiv since late 2007, and I expect to get my permit next week to stay for another year.  I have a nice circle of friends and many good acquaintances.  My work teaching English has been very good for me, and the overall experience has taught me much and, I hope, made me a better person. 

So a large portion of my life, both in terms of time and personal attachments, has been spent here.  So what happens here definitely has an effect on my life.  The notion that I can just fly away whenever I want is simplistic and really not true.  This place is a part of me.  So from a personal perspective, it matters very much.

What Matters Most: People

The thing that affects me the most are the people I know here – people who have been a part of my life, in some cases, for almost seven years, people I care deeply about, people who I want to know are safe, secure and happy.  Friends and students have shared their dreams for the future (and sometimes their fears), and I want them all to realize those dreams and not have to face the fears.

They are the dreams that any of us would have: to fall in love and raise families; to have good jobs and a secure lifestyle for those families; to enjoy comfortable homes, modern conveniences and reliable infrastructures; to feel safe in their homes, their cars and on the street; and to have the freedom to travel and see something of the world.  Mostly, they want a good and fair country, one that can rival the standards of any country in Europe – not a country that clings to a stale Soviet past or a dictatorship in which only a privileged few can benefit.

It is because I do care so much about these people that I should and do care about what is happening in the country.  There are some individuals here who I sometimes wish I could just whisk away to a better life someplace else.  But I don’t have that power.  And while that might be a nice answer for some, for most the answer is to make Ukraine such a bright place to live that emigration would not even be a consideration.  This is their country; they don’t want to leave it, they want to make it better.

I was really moved the other day by some words that one girl wrote on social media.  She commented that she was afraid about what’s been happening, afraid that a serious line has been crossed with the killings and kidnappings and all the anger.  She also mentioned that she is ashamed to live in a city where the local government forces civil workers to attend rallies in support of the ruling political party. 

But more, she felt ashamed that she tries to pretend things are OK and even more ashamed that she is thinking more frequently about emigration.  But she finished by saying that she loves Ukraine and Kharkiv, despite the cynical nature of the people, and she wants to believe that by summer things will be normal again. 

I hope things will be normal again soon too.  More than that, I hope that what is happening now, as difficult and frightening as it might be, will lead this country closer to being a place in which my friends’ dreams will be easily realized and their fear a thing of the past.

This is why Euromaidan matters to me.

Souls - Part 1: What is a Soul?

What is a soul? 

Is a soul the same as a spirit?  How does the idea of the “soul” differ from the figurative notion of the “heart”?  What is the relationship between the soul and the mind?

Do you have a soul?  Does everyone have one?  Could you have more than one?  Could two or more people share the same soul?

If souls exist, are they eternal?  Is the idea of an eternal soul just a fiction we create to make ourselves feel better about death?  Where do our souls go when we die?  Do they stay in one eternal place, or do they return to Earth to experience new lives (reincarnation)?  Do they eventually stop reincarnating and live on forever in some kind of paradise?

If we reincarnate, do we come with our friends?  Are the closest people to us actually “kindred souls” who travel with us through various lives?  Is there such a thing as a soul mate, a soul that is particularly special to your own?

Wow!  That’s a lot of questions! 

These are questions that greater minds than mine (and that’s almost everyone) have tried to answer since we hunted animals with stone-pointed sticks.  But these are also questions that can stir strong feelings, even anger, when they seem to contradict deeply ingrained religious beliefs or go up against fervent secular or even antireligious sentiment.  That said, in my next few posts, I am going to tackle the subject of souls from my own personal perspective. 

Spirituality is something I’ve pondered to one extent or another since I was a kid.  And trying to understand how my soul (and others) fits into the mix has been a key part of my pondering.  At several points in my life I’ve been deeply involved in spiritual thinking and reading, while at other times more worldly concerns have forced such considerations to the sidelines. 

But I seem to be entering into a more contemplative stage these days, getting better about meditation, reading, etc., so perhaps it’s a good time to address it in this blog.  I’m going to write about how I see the subject of souls, but I am certainly no scholar on the subject.  I am writing from my own beliefs and from what I have absorbed from selected readings.  In doing this, I do not intend to diminish or offend anyone else’s points of view, and I hope no one will take it that way – even if my views seem 180 degrees out from yours, or if I approach it with some humor at times.

Souls Are Our True Realities

First of all, I do believe in souls.  But I don’t believe that I “have” a soul; I believe that I AM a soul who happens to have a physical body at this moment.  As the famous saying goes, “I am a spiritual being having a physical experience.”  The soul is the true essence of who each of us is, but this essence is wrapped up inside a complicated and petulant physical mind and body (more about that next time).

And I believe that we all have souls.  Well, there was one person who might have been muddling along in this existence without a soul.  She was my immediate supervisor when I worked for an agency of the Colorado government, and she was such a rotten person that I think even her soul might have become disgusted and left her.

It seems to me that there is only room for one soul per body, although there is that occasional schizophrenia problem.  And I’ve read that a soul might split and occupy two or more bodies simultaneously, which could account for some of my more bizarre dreams.  But seriously, it seems to me that we are generally matched one soul to one body.

I believe in reincarnation – that we experience physical lives multiple times, learning and growing from each incarnation.  This is not a popular belief among the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), which tend to hold that you only get one shot at life and are judged on how you do in that one go-around.

And, of course, the secular types – atheists and those who just don’t think about it at all – figure that everything we do or say is based on some sort of electro-chemical reactions.  To them, the notion of a soul seems silly in the first place, so reincarnation would be silly multiplied by ridiculous.

My Recent Catalyst

Why have I been thinking more about souls recently?  Well, not long ago, a friend recommended a book called Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, Ph.D.  It is not a new book – it was published in the mid-1990s – but, although I have read many spiritual books over the past 20 or so years, I had never read that one before.  Newton is a behavioral psychologist who specializes in using hypnotherapy to help clients “regress” past their childhood and birth to talk about their past lives and their experiences in between those lives.  The book is based on his work with hundreds of such clients.

The main point of the book is the author’s view of how souls move from one life to another, what they do between earthly lives, and how they advance and grow from “new souls” to “older souls” to “guides” and eventually merge with “the source.”  So, of course, the notion of reincarnation is paramount in this book.  And while there are other ideas in the book that are in tune with my own ideas, there are aspects that I viewed with some skepticism.

But this is not intended to be a review of the book.

I was quick to read this book when my friend suggested it because she is someone I recognize as being a unique and possibly special person in my life at this time.  That fact, combined with the nature of the conversation that spurred her to mention the book, made it clear to me that it was something I needed to read now.  

My friend and I were having an interesting and pretty deep conversation, and we got on the subject of souls, reincarnation and, more specifically, the notion of “soul groups.”  Long ago, before I had ever read anything on the subject, I realized that there are a small number of people we meet in our lives with whom we seem to have an unusually strong connection, one that is difficult to explain.  And it occurred to me that perhaps these are special souls, part of a particular group of souls to which we belong. 

When we come to Earth, we do our best to find each other and to help each other with our particular purposes in life.  These people may be close friends, spouses, lovers, parents, children, etc.  Or they may appear as an authority figure, like a teacher, athletic coach or a work manager.  They might be with us for years, perhaps even most of our lives, or they might only come for a short time, just enough to give us the messages or lessons that we need, then they are gone until the next life when they might take different, more permanent roles.

On the other hand, our parents, children, many of our friends, or even our spouses might not be members of our specific soul group, at least for this particular incarnation.  So it can be difficult to know exactly who in our lives is part of this group and who isn’t.  We can’t judge only from the connection we think we feel, because often this “connection” is blurred or exaggerated by other factors, such as physical attraction, intellectual fascination or being thrown together in some dire situation, such as combat or a deadly emergency.

Anyway, my friend and I got talking about this, and I discovered that she agreed completely with my “crazy idea” (sad for her).  She mentioned that she had read something similar in the book and suggested it to me.  The book has added a lot to my own perceptions, but I’m still working on the areas where it seems to fall short or where there are just differences in view.

What Is a Soul?

The simple answer is that a soul is energy.  But everything, really, is energy: material objects are just energy vibrating at frequencies that allows it to coalesce into physical form.  So that’s hardly a complete answer. 

Maybe souls are “intelligent energy.”  But that would suggest that there is such a thing as “stupid energy.”  That might apply to politicians, but probably not much else.  I think the idea of intelligent energy as a definition is getting warmer, but not quite there. 

As I understand it, Buddhists consider the “soul” to be nothing more than a stream of consciousness, a channel of energy that has self-awareness, is conscious of what it is and what it does.  In other words, it is sentient.  But they don’t see each soul as a unique entity unto itself with its own purposes, desires, intentions… its own “personality.” 

In the Buddhist model, this stream of consciousness enters the body and mind, gives it life, and merges with it to create an individual, sentient person.  But after the death of that person, this stream of consciousness reincarnates in another individual, without memories or learned lessons from previous lives and without a particular purpose.  So in this sense, there is no eternal, individual soul. 

I can’t subscribe to that depiction.  Neither can I accept the idea that our souls gets just one chance at a physical life, are judged on the results, and then spend the rest of eternity either in a paradise or a place of torment.  I don’t believe that God, the Universe, the Creator, the Source, or however you want to describe it, would put us in such an all-or-nothing situation.

This is a good point, I suppose, to say a few words about the notion of God. One problem with trying to define the soul is that it seems to require some definition of that which creates the soul.  I like the word God, even if I don’t necessarily mean it in the same sense as traditional Judeo-Christian usage. 

I’ve noticed over the years that many people prefer to use terms like the Universe, or the Creative Power, or the Source, or myriad other words, and I think it’s because they are afraid of the word God. Perhaps they have a grudge against Christianity, and they don’t want their cool, New Age friends to think they are closet Christians.  

But that attitude has always seemed a little too elitist for me; they want to make a point that they are not Christian or even that they are anti-Christian.  The real Christians I know are good people, and that elitist attitude, in my view, is crap.  I like the word God, and I don’t care what perceptions other people have when I use it.

Humans have tried to define God since the beginning of our ability to even think or talk about it.  The mysteries of creation and existence have been explained through pantheons of gods and goddesses and assorted supernatural beings, some terrifying, some comforting, some indifferent and some loving.  The creator and organizer of all things has been described in monotheistic and polytheistic terms among thousands of religions and spiritual systems that have existed throughout time. 

The greatest thinkers and philosophers of the ages have considered the question, and what we still have are thoughts and philosophies.  So who am I to think I have better answers?  I do not. 

It all seems contradictory, yet there are threads of commonality.  And those threads are as far as I go with it.  I feel there is a central, creative source to it all, and that around this source are billions (or more) related entities – souls – which exist at varying levels of knowledge, enlightenment and power.  And all of it, including us, is God.

To me, the soul is energy, of course.  And it is intelligent and sentient.  But more, I believe my soul is a specific, individual entity – my Self – created by God the source, as a part of God the whole, and intended to use many physical lives to have experiences that are only possible in a material existence, to learn, to grow, to evolve and to eventually be enlightened enough to merge back into the creative source.  Siddha Yoga has a nice motto, which I think encapsulates this idea: “God dwells within us as us.”

I don’t believe that I am a particularly “young” soul, but I do think I have a lot of learning, growing and evolving to do.  I am probably still many lives away from being an “old” soul, a guide or teacher for others, or from existing in a manifestation close to the source.  Maybe it’s the same for you.

In the next couple of posts, I plan to discuss two more subjects related to souls:

• The relationship of soul, mind and heart.
• Soul mates and soul friends

ps – Please feel free to leave comments, even if you disagree and think I’m crazy.  But please be civil – angry or hateful comments will not be published.

The Same Old New Year

In Ukraine, New Year is the biggest and brightest holiday of the year.  To a Westerner, the celebration here can seem like a morphing of traditions associated with Christmas and New Year, with a few unique aspects added for good measure. 

Besides “ringing in” the New Year at midnight like everywhere else in the world, the holiday here includes the gift-giving of Western Christmas, and children look forward to an overnight visit by Ded Moroz (the Russian/Ukrainian equivalent of Santa Claus).  Families and friends gather at home to enjoy festivities, including lots of food, and home celebrations can typically last past 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning.

In Kharkov, thousands of people brave the night cold to congregate in the city’s huge central square or at the recently renovated Gorkiy Park to usher in the New Year with fireworks, champagne and maybe a little hot wine to ward off the chill.  After a few hours they head to the warmth of their own or friends’ homes to continue the celebration (with all that food).  Almost everyone has someplace to go and people to be with.

But in my seven new years in Kharkov, that has rarely been the case.  Being a foreigner, having no family or a “family-like” circle of friends, and living alone usually relegates me to entering the New Year on my own.  I generally go to bed early and hope my neighbors don’t keep me awake with their own celebrations.  Perhaps it is just the normal life of an expatriate.

It has been different only twice.  For 2010, I was determined not to be alone and managed to find a couple of people who similarly had no better options.  We met some others at the square and then returned to my place for a small party.  It was one of the few times that I felt motivated to decorate my place with a small tree and other touches.  It was nice. 

Last year, I had the opportunity to greet the New Year at the home of a friend.  It was her first New Year in her own place, and though it was just the two of us – and we were just friends – it was nice to not be alone.  But a couple of hours past midnight, I returned to my own apartment, which was devoid of New Year cheer.

Too often New Year has been a little depressing because it accentuates the fact that, despite having a lot of friends and acquaintances here, when push comes to shove, I am alone.  And it’s a hard pill to swallow sometimes.  

But this year, I was determined to start the year out in the most positive manner possible, with good company and a cheery environment.  I bought a small, artificial tree; decorated it with lights, ornaments and a bit of garland; put up some strings of lights around my living room windows; hung strands of garland around door frames; and even put up some lights in my front window to be seen from outside.  All of these decorations are still up, and it is festive.

The next thing was to buy gifts.  I put some effort into it and found some nice stuff for my friends, some of the people I work with regularly, and a few others.  It was a nice feeling to organize everything, and I enjoyed distributing gifts to people at several of my client companies and to some of my friends.

A few days before New Year, I got dressed up and attended the corporate party of one of my client companies, and I had a great time.  It was a good way to start getting into the spirit and helped me to start thinking about how I might ring in the real New Year, and perhaps even with whom.

But that was as far as it went.  My attempts to find some company and make a good plan for New Year’s Eve didn’t work out.  I was able to meet a few friends briefly before New Year, but most people were busy, and everyone had their own plans for the big night.  So it was early to bed, as usual.  Fortunately, none of my neighbors were celebrating, so it was mostly a quiet night.  The same old New Year.

My first few days of 2014 were spent quietly at home… reading, writing, watching movies… basically just vegetating.  But it was necessary vegetating and not all bad.  I finally got out on Friday and Saturday, and had good times with some friends.  It made things better.

Almost a week later, many of the gifts are still sitting on a shelf waiting to be given away.  Tomorrow is Orthodox Christmas, and few friends plan to drop by for a while, so a few more gifts will find their homes. 

In another week, I will return to my usual work routine, and the whole holiday thing will be behind me for another year.  I expect that I will still be here when 2015 rolls in, though it might well be my last New Year in Ukraine.  And I will do my best to make it festive, no matter if it’s my last here or not.  The attempt is worth it, no matter how it works out.


The next few blog posts will be about... souls.