Just today, I went looking on the Viking Cruises website to see their offerings. Of course, any cruise to Russia or Ukraine is now canceled. But I took the time to watch the video of the cruise they had offered in Ukraine. What a beautiful country! To see that splendor and compare it to the images of death and destruction that we are now seeing is heartbreaking. And for what? To satisfy one sick man’s ego?

Now that we have seen the face of evil as Putin has invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine without cause, I pray that it will remind everyone of the importance of our democracy.

Though some Americans have once praised for Putin as a “genius”, this unprovoked act of violence has proven what a truly malevolent force he is in our world.

Of course, one of the first things that had to go in Putin’s Russia was the freedom of speech and the free press. It is forbidden to use the word “war”. Anti-war protesters in Russia are being arrested. All non-state-sanctioned press outlets have been shut down.

One Ukrainian man on CNN reported talking to his father in Russia and telling him what was happening. His father refused to believe it. That was not what the father had heard on Russian TV. Ah, never underestimate the power of denial.

The world seems a much different place than it was just days ago. The consequences of this savage attack on a peaceful, freedom-loving people reach way beyond Ukraine. This changes so much in the relatively peaceful world we had known. The world seems a much less safe place for all of us. One madman has taken that sense of security from us.

What has given me hope is the outpouring of support that the world has shown the Ukrainian people. Everywhere you look, you find Americans joining together to send money and supplies to the organizations helping Ukrainian refugees in their moment of desperate need. I cannot imagine waking up one day and having to leave my home to seek a safe place to live. Yet millions of Ukrainian women, children, and the elderly have already made that journey.  

How this ends, no one knows for sure. Perhaps Putin will be forced to retreat. If he must decimate Ukraine to dominate it, what has he won?  

In the meantime, I am reminded of all the sacrifices that my grandparents and parents made without complaint during World War II for the greater good. They all lived with the rationing of food and gasoline, took their turns watching for planes, bought war bonds, planted Victory gardens, and collected iron and anything else needed for the war effort. They rose to the occasion then, and Americans today are likewise doing what we do best: pulling together against a common enemy and helping those in need.

Putin’s evil plans must not be allowed to prevail.