Dear Ones,
As the Ukraine war wages on for the 11th day, our collective attention on this side of the world is waning. Atlantic published an article on the “milling” phenomenon, where after a major event, we “talk around” the subject to make sense of it.
Even Victoria Vlasenko, a Ukrainian creator, is shifting her content from the Ukraine war back to minimalism. She’s worried that it will affect the growth of her YouTube channel.
(Please check out her channel and give her watch/comment/subscribe/like, in that order because of algorithm reasons. It’s the least we can do.)
It’s all very r/ABoringDystopia, isn’t it? We pay attention for a while and move on, until the next tragedy strikes.
Some people have compassion fatigue. But for me, it’s more of a feeling of guilt from an incomplete task. Of course I’m not able to solve such huge world problems, but I often feel unsure whether I did my best to help. Cool, I showcased a fellow creator, donated some money, but…then what? The Ukrainians, no matter what happens next, have a long journey ahead of them to rebuild their lives.
If I were to invoke my memories of living through similar situations, it would be that while the acute help is appreciated, it’s the long-term assistance that is often neglected. The arduous path of going from surviving to thriving.
What can I do to better support those in need, in an effective, sustainable way?
In today’s world, I’m seeing that the economy has gone from one of just pure finances, to one of attention and influence as well. And what I vow is to do a better job of managing my attention and influence, so that I can continue to give them to those who need them the most.
President Zelensky’s speech today is well worth a watch if you want to hear the best motivational speech of this decade, emphasizing the resources they are gathering for the country to recover in the future. They just need to get through the present.
-
As a reminder, Victoria asked those who live near the Ukrainian borders, and can shelter or help, to leave their contact information by DMing her on instagram. She will provide this information to vetted friends and colleagues who want to leave.
She also created this list of ways to donate (note that I have not verified these sources myself, so please do your due diligence. Here’s a list from NPR as well.)
Warm Wishes,
Christin
Re: Milling, that def. created a writing block for me. "Should I address this or not?" Glad you helped me put a name to it!
Thanks for sharing! A friend mentioned that Poland has a complete open border for Ukrainians. Heart warming to hear. They said “Of course you can come! We’re brothers (and sisters)!”