New version
Introduction: Some things remain unspoken, shrouded in silence for various reasons. For me, like many others, life has been a constant struggle. From a young age, I found myself trapped in a cycle of negativity, moving from one orphanage to another, hoping for a place to call home. This blog post delves into my experiences, highlighting the impact of abandonment, the Ukrainian conflict, and the importance of education.
- Reframing the Opening: Living in a shell of happiness, where nothing bad ever happens, may seem appealing to some. Unfortunately, it is a luxury I have never known. As a foundling, my journey has been marked by a succession of orphanages and adoptive families. It is a life shaped by societal systems designed to cast away those deemed unwanted. This reality often eludes adoptive parents, who envision an idealized child without considering the complexities of orphanhood.
- Donetsk: Beyond the Conflict: My transient existence led me to the city of Donetsk, situated in the eastern part of Ukraine, known for its association with the Ukrainian conflict. However, it is essential to recognize that Donetsk and the rest of Donbas are not inherently bad; they are victims of circumstance. The negative perceptions arise from the division between “The East” and “The West,” perpetuated by different countries’ involvement in the conflict.
- Challenging Biased Perspectives: When observing the Ukrainian conflict, it is apparent that numerous countries have been actively engaged. Notable nations from the Western world, such as the USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom, voice support for Ukraine, while countries like Russia, Belarus, and others from the East side with Russia. However, the conflict cannot be simply reduced to a binary opposition between West and East; the situation is more nuanced than that.
- The Western View of Russia: The prevailing Western perspective on Russia, rather than Ukraine, has significantly contributed to the tensions between Russia, Eastern Ukraine, and Ukraine as a whole. Many in the Western world tend to romanticize the Soviet era, influencing their perception of present-day Russia. It is important to note that personal opinions on the matter are often based on secondhand experiences and can be marred by biased perspectives.
- Lingual Identity Struggles: Russian is my native language, and though I may attempt to conceal it, the desire to do so stems not only from Western influences but also from the attitude of Russian citizens themselves. This situation creates a complex dynamic where Russians feign ignorance of other languages, while Ukrainians are met with disdain. The Ukrainian conflict exacerbated these tensions, leading to a sense of animosity that I, too, have experienced.
- The Impact of Separatism on Education: Education is often championed as a fundamental right for all individuals. Paradoxically, those who advocate for separatism frequently undermine the significance of education. In Eastern Ukraine, the same scenario unfolds, rendering education less important. However, this approach fails to acknowledge the repercussions of geographical and historical distortions, affecting education globally and necessitating costly revisions of textbooks.
- The Wider Effects of Conflict: Conflicts extend far beyond the immediate combat zone, impacting societies and education systems worldwide. For instance, the disputed status of Crimea has rendered countless geography books incorrect, while history and other subject materials also require extensive revisions. The financial and environmental costs associated with these revisions are staggering, emphasizing the far-reaching consequences of conflict.
Conclusion: The Ukrainian conflict and its underlying complexities continue to shape the relationship between Eastern Ukraine, Russia, and Ukraine. A resolution seems elusive, particularly in the absence of efforts to address key issues, such as the return of Crimea, recognition of Donbas as part of Ukraine, and an acknowledgment of Russia’s historical and present role in Ukrainian affairs. It is my hope that by shedding light on these topics, we can foster understanding and strive for a more harmonious future.
Old version:
Some things are unspoken, unspoken for many reasons, that is the for me like anyone else…
It is possibly nice to live in a shell of happiness, a place in your mind where nothing bad ever happens.
It is something I never had.
Ever since I was young I have lived in a shell of negativity, I was a foundling and since all I can remember I have been going from orphanage to orphanage and from adoptive family to adoptive family…
It is my life, abandoned before I could walk and afterwards getting in the cycle of horror called orphanages, and basically getting stuck in the system created by society to get rid of the things they do not want to see…
The simple thing is that it is that way, every adoptive parent has some kind of vision of a perfect child when they are adopting, forgetting that if orphans were perfect, they would probably never be orphaned at all…
The thing I learned by my own abandonment is to have a negative view of adults, and there is no denying that people will have noticed…
My moving also brought me to the city of Donetsk at the far eastern part of Ukraine.
Most people will instantly think about the Ukrainian conflict, and they should.
Donetsk and the rest of Donbas has a massive stamp of disgrace at them, caused by their own acts, it is how things are.
The sad part about it all is the fact Donetsk and the rest of Donbas are not bad, not even the people…
The thing about Donetsk and the rest of Donbas is that they are not supportive at all to the EU and still feel Russian since the downfall of the Soviet Union years ago.
But like I said they are not bad, as how should they be bad for non-agreement?
The thing that has created the image are 2 sides, “The East” and “The West”, the 2 sides at every discussion surrounding Ukraine for years now…
Countries like the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Ireland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and Austria from the Western part of the world;
Countries like Russia, Belarus, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Poland, Moldova, Romania and Georgia of the Eastern part of the world,
Those are the most active countries at the Ukrainian conflict when I look around.
And yet, the split is not West and East…
When you look at which country they support at this, as this has become if you support Russia or Ukraine, you could put 2 sides against each other sometimes, like most Canadian support being to Ukraine, most support from Belarus being to Russia, yet it is not that clear-cut.
Countries like the USA and Moldova show a clear split. (Transnistria = Moldova, to me.)
The vision of the West about Russia, not Ukraine, has caused most problems currently happening between Russia, Eastern Ukraine and Ukraine.
Something you see at “The Western part of the world” is an even bigger importance of thinking back to the Soviet days then at any previous Soviet country…
I have to be honest though, I couldn’t give any true opinion, as I wasn’t alive, so I didn’t experience life at the Soviet union…
And that is exactly what counts for most speaking out currently, they never experienced it themselves, they most often lived at another country and are now speaking in disgust or in support…
The first language I learned and spoke is Russian, it is my native language, as much as I would like to hide it by now…
The reason for wanting to hide it is however not only “The West”, it is Russian citizens as much themselves…
I can’t deny that I often annoy Russians by acting like I don’t speak Russian, just like most of them act like they only speak Russian.
It is a thing that comes from 2 sides, but I have more than just annoying as reason for not speaking Russian.
Before even the Ukrainian conflict there was no true approval of Ukrainians by Russians, unlike they try to act like now, we were seen as less before then as well.
However, the blow to the stomach(or read “heart”) was what has happened since the Ukrainian conflict, which is the plain disgusting hatred, parents even teaching their children that Ukrainian are the filth of the world…
It hurts, that is the truth, and whether I have anything against Russia or the Russian language has become obsolete at that point, as I was pushed to hate Russia and Eastern Ukraine by this.
The simple fact behind this, is that you will never love your enemy, and Russians made themselves the enemies of Ukraine, not the other way around, neither did Eastern Ukraine have a true part in this.
You will hear it often, education should be for all…
Somehow this is actually often also shouted by people making education obsolete, like separatists.
Most won’t face the fact that when you want something to change, you quite often make education unimportant.
At Eastern Ukraine this also happens, and I actually have to laugh about it, as much as I might dislike myself for doing so.
The thing separatism is about is separating things, obviously…
When this is however done at geographical scale, education becomes unimportant…
The thing you do with separation is basically ripping shreds in reality…
At Eastern Ukraine it causes geographical lessons and history lessons needing changing, causing problems at education worldwide…
That is a thing people forget, any changing will reflect worldwide, not only at a region.
At education, it is however troubling and destructive.
As example, ever since Crimea is counted as Russia by Russia, it caused geographical books to be incorrect, as it is no longer Ukraine.
It would probably also cause history books and other lesson books to suddenly be incorrect…
It actually costs society more money than most wars, as every book needs to be checked if they are still correct, but more importantly, thousands of books worldwide need to be re-printed to fix the errors, costing society masses of money, nature masses of trees, and the world too many things to even call…
A conflict does affect more than most will and want to notice…
Whether things between Eastern Ukraine, Russia and Ukraine ever will return to any good standing?
The answer I would give remains a clear No, it will never end, especially with Russia remaining reluctant to doing the right act of return Crimea, Eastern Ukraine doing the right act of just calling Donbas Ukraine, and Ukraine doing the right act of accepting Russia did and still does play a role in Ukrainian history and relations…
