 It's nothing personal, but... By Glen WILLARD |
Ruslana
A person close to me was talking about Ruslana a couple of days ago. Seems President Kuchma or the Rada or someone in government has given Ruslana a free apartment plus some award money. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, I haven't seen a story. The woman, a Ukrainian, waxed on about how great this was. After a while I began to get that ticked-off feeling.
Now, Ruslana is great. She's talented and beautiful. She's brought some well-needed recognition to a country sorely in need of favorable publicity. But why should she be paid for it? Can't she make her own money? Won't she, if she hasn't already?
If someone in government or Kuchma has taken from the country's budget and given to Ruslana, who else receives such government largess? And from which budget does it come? And how are such matters decided? Arbitrarily? Is a committee involved? What means and methods go into this selection process?
In response to my friend's horror at my seeming ingratitude to this national heroine, I responded, "So give her a medal!" There's probably a line item in the budget for that.
I remind her of her father's recent illness, her 6 year-old grandson's broken arm, the physical problems of some of her friends and relatives in the villages and towns. The broken arm was badly set by a layperson, as there was no doctor nearby, and no medicine to treat the pain for several days. Her father and the friends and relatives with no medical help or medicines available that they were near to, or if near, could they have paid for treatment.
Who is this State to feel free to reward a healthy Ruslana?
Doesn't this remind one of the days when all came from the State? A day when the dictators and their appointees, apparatchiks, controlled all? And the people, like sheep, were led and had to believe in the munificence of the State?
The Orphan
A young acquaintance is visiting her home in Kyiv. She's been away for four months, temporarily working as an au pair for a family in Munich. She's enjoying her visit home and tells of her life in Munich. Now remember, she's Ukrainian and has Ukrainian expectations. To the family, her employer, she is a servant girl doing the typical less-challenging jobs that real Europeans allow for others. In saying this I mean no particular disrespect for Germans. It is true whether the country be Germany, Italy or some other in the lands of the enlightened and privileged.
My friend has met a friend. Another young 19-year old girl who is German. The girl is an orphan. I know nothing more of her life before but now it apparently is pretty good. My Ukrainian friend is amazed, delighted and a few other complimentary adjectives to report the orphan's current status. "She has her own furnished apartment and receives a stipend of 400 euros a month." I just had to ask about the orphan's health and whether she was working. I found that the girl is in good, normal 19 year-old health, is active, but doesn't need a job. I can only respond, "That's great, the girl's a lucky person."
Zebra Lanes
Lately I've seemed to have a run on big, fast automobiles trying to run me down as I cross the streets in Kyiv. Each time, I've been in one of those pedestrian crossings that I now call Zebra Lanes or Zebra Crossings. I think Ukrainians actually say something like just 'na zebra' meaning literally 'on zebra'. Always, unless I get lucky and can cross with a wave of people, I survey the situation carefully and with some trepidation before timidly stepping off the curb. Mostly, my experience in those situations has, for me, been amazing. It's as though I, Moses, had stepped forth in this river of fast moving vehicles and the waters have miraculously parted. Suddenly, I am a god and these people who drive these vehicles are my ever-so-gracious and loyal subjects. Truly, I think, "Lord, I believe!"
But lately, on too many occasions after the wave has parted, suddenly there appears a fast-moving, huge and terrifying mass of metal and chrome bearing down on me. There I stand. Doing my best "deer in the headlight" routine. Somehow, so far, each time I've escaped ... sans much dignity however. (It's hard to be dignified while standing on the sidewalk in a pale, quivering mass of jumbled nerves.)
Invariably these road outlaws, these refuges from mental institutions, these wretched excuses for humanity in their oversized, overpowered machines have some indicia of ownership or possession recognizable as someone with power or related thereto. Generally government power.
Philosophically Speaking
So what do the above three instances have to do with anything? Nothing, maybe. I was just ticking off some of my 'ticked-off' instances of the past three or four days. Actually I have several more such but I'm all ticked-out for now.
But we are talking about government here. And people. The People.
Here are some statements that I believe may have some truth in them. They are not facts, rather more opinion, and thus I qualify them as maybe having only some modicum of truth to them.
1. Ukrainians have been looked down upon, kicked around and generally run over for centuries now. In the last century, they were killed in massive numbers through forced starvation, wars they weren't responsible for and even by the incompetence and oft-benign neglect of governments. While others in Eastern Europe have suffered, no other of indigenous people have suffered so much and for so long.
2. The people of Western Europe have been much more fortunate than Ukrainians.
3. Ukrainians look to government as a power, as though separate from themselves whether individually or as a group. They anticipate and desire that government take care of their needs, but they don't expect much.
4. Western Europeans, long democratic, choose their own governments by direct vote. They also anticipate and desire that government take care of their needs, but they expect much.
5. Europeans, particularly Western Europeans, believe that they are a free people.
6. Ukrainians believe that they are becoming a freer people.
Western Europeans, including the newly franchised of ten nations newly admitted are bound together in a government of sorts called the European Union. This government is kind of superimposed on the national government bodies and parliaments of those nations so bound. They seek to draft a constitution that binds them in whole in one treaty.
Ukrainians may in the future join in this grand European treaty. That is the hope of many. Or it may seek other alliance. Some would treaty with Russia and certain other FSU countries.
All the peoples of Europe, including Ukraine, seemingly are looking for government rules to live by and gain security from for themselves and, presumably, their descendants. Simply, they all seem to believe that the right organization, if capable of being found or selected, can produce bounty to satisfy their needs. And they will vote to make it so.
Freedom at last will be theirs. And bounty will follow. Or the other way around? Which is it?
The good part is that no one will have to pay for it. The government will provide it.
Or, the people will find themselves in a Zebra Lane.
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Read also previous issue' articles:
What it Was, Was Football
An American in Perish
The Baseball Way to Pleasure and Wisdom
What a Fine Mess
At My Table
The King is Gone- and So are You
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