Sacrifice

The invasion of the nation of Ukraine troubles me greatly. When I hear of rocket and missile attacks on hospitals, nursery schools and sacred historic locations, I am moved to what I hope is righteous indignation. I pray for the people of Ukraine. I also pray that my righteous indignation not be turned into unreasoning anger.

The unwavering dedication of those intrepid souls who stand in the path of tanks, who take their wives and children to safety then return to the struggle for what they hold dear inspires me.

They remind me of Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” pronouncement. They remind me of Nathan Hale’s “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country”. They remind me of the heroism of Joan of Arc. They are entering into a pantheon of heroes who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for principles that are reminiscent of the God given self-evident truths which Thomas Jefferson referred to in the Declaration of Independence which are reminiscent of the august words of the Polish political philosopher Goslicki in his treatise “De Optimo Senatore (The Ideal Senator).

I ask myself, “What am I willing to do beyond prayer to align myself with the heroes of Ukraine? I am too old and infirm to take up arms in defense of liberty. I am too far away to provide caring support for the dispossessed. I still have in my possession ration cards from World War Two. They are a reminder to me of a time when my co-citizens were willing to sacrifice for the interest of our brave soldiers, sailors and airmen who stood in the breach to prevent a totalitarian from his evil designs.

Since restriction on the movement of crude oil and natural gas seems to be an issue in the struggle to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I am committing myself to reduce the amount of gasoline and natural gas I use. I will reduce the number of miles I drive. I will increase the temperature setting of my thermostat in warm weather and decrease it in colder weather by five degrees. If enough of us take these small self-imposed rationing steps, we will provide our government with the opportunity to impose the sanctioning of  Russian oil exports which fund the brutal war effort in Ukraine.

Although I am too far away to provide succor and relief to the dispossessed, I will send the money I save from these minor sacrifices to those brave souls who are stepping forward and providing those supports.

I invite all peace-loving individuals to join with me in doing whatever we can to support the front-line warriors in this struggle against evil.