February 24, 2026
Four years ago today, Putin ordered the Russian military to invade Ukraine. Honestly, I expected him to overrun the country and be in control in Kyiv in less than a week. I am so used to people caving into power rather than fighting back that I never imagined that the Ukrainian people would be put up such a strong resistance.
To mark this day and to honor the fighting spirit of the people in Ukraine, I give you a quote from George Orwell. He understood that if you surrender without fighting you are letting those in power know that you will submit to anything. Any hope of preserving your heritage, your culture, or your dignity is lost. However, if are conquered and you made that victory extremely painful for your enemy; they know you will not every allow yourself to be truly defeated and they will be very circumspect about how they rule over you.
I highly encourage everyone to read Trudy Rubin's piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer that I have linked below
