A Soldiers Funeral in Lviv: Reminder of Life and Freedom
On my last day in Lviv in October, I was walking in the old town and saw a funeral procession of a young Ukrainian soldier to a church. One who paid the ultimate sacrifice. He was escorted by his unit with a full panoply of flags and his picture. Many of us just stood at the side, as it was a solemn and sad scene. Repeated far too often this last year and half.
What would that young soldier be doing in his life otherwise. The impact he would have had on the world either in art, in business or in science. The family he would have started. Now all gone. What a complete waste of potential. This horrific senseless war started by a sociopathic dictator in Russia in a revanchist quest to turn back the clock to an Imperialist age.
I also see a parallel in the corrupt unserious politicians of the West who send other people’s young kids off to war for badly thought out wars like in Iraq. Or worse, enable this kind of barbarism through either their corruption or their weakness and appeasement.
I want to honor the sacrifice of the Ukrainians. They are defending their families, their neighbors, their people and their country.
They are fighting a just war against an enemy who invaded them in a quest to end their way of life and westward leaning tendencies. Ukrainians deserve to have the choice of joining the EU and the Global West. A world order that is still the best system and places to live despite the flaws and degradation we see in the news everyday.
But this young soldier’s funeral is also a reminder that freedom and our way of life is not free. That many people are paying the price for our good and bad choices. We have an obligation to find our life mission and fulfill the potential in ourselves.
It would be a waste of our lives to not make the best of our short time on this earth. To live good lives, raise strong families, build great businesses and organizations that provide leverage to provide value and good to everyone around us. And to benefit society at large. Let’s not take our time here for granted.
