Day after day I have a line from a 1980s rock song on a loop in my head: It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Actually, I am feeling better than fine but not to the same degree as during My Enhanced Well-being in 2020. I feel energized and excited by this very important moment in history.
I am trying to make sense of these events and my own reactions. Writing this essay helps me process some of the overwhelming amount of information available. It also helps me process my own emotions as I record this experience.
I was aware of the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. I knew about the Russian supported separatist activity in the eastern part of Ukraine. I knew that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected President of Ukraine in 2019. And I was aware of the buildup of Russian military might on the borders of Ukraine. Along with the rest of the world I wondered what Putin’s intentions were. Would he invade or was he bluffing?
But I also realize that I do not know very much about these matters and I am hungry to know more.
I was aware of the criticism by many of Joe Biden that he was for some reason hyping the possibility of a Russian invasion. The critics were wrong and, very unfortunately, Biden got it right and geopolitical expert George Friedman got it wrong. On February 24th Russia invaded.
George Friedman - Feb 26
Ultimately, I didn’t attack my own theory. I failed to see its weaknesses. I should always be my own worst enemy. I failed to do so, and for that, I am sorry. "
Donald Trump’s initial reaction was consistent with his attitude towards Putin throughout his presidency. There was immediate criticism of Trump in the mainstream media. Soon he seemed to be backtracking and changing direction. I was wrong about Trump every step of the way from 2015 onward. But throwing caution to the wind, I think that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine spells the end of Trump’s political career.
It quickly became obvious that Putin’s intention was to conquer all of Ukraine. Now the world faces the most serious geopolitical crisis since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It does not take much imagination to see how events could escalate to a nuclear WWIII.
Last December we terminated our Shaw satellite service. I now watch news on Aljazeera using Roku, and I do not miss CNN. I scan headlines from several mainstream media sources almost daily. But I mostly look to several alternative media sources that I trust for sensemaking. These I will record.
Andrew Sullivan - Feb 25 (pay wall)
This week’s horrifying, brutal invasion of all of Ukraine — an independent sovereign state since 1991… The brazenness of this assault and the scale of the attempted regime change have shocked even those who had some sympathy for Putin’s worldview. And listening to the tyrant’s rants this week proved to me at least that he always saw the Soviet Union’s hegemony in Eastern Europe as indistinguishable from Russia’s historic destiny.
NonZero Newsletter (pay wall)
Robert Wright - Feb 25
Earthling: Ukraine's demographic fault lines
After Vladimir Putin’s emotional and unsettling pre-invasion speech Monday—the one in which he said that Ukraine isn’t a real country—this thought crossed many minds: What the hell is going on inside Putin’s head? For months he’d been saying his grievances against the West were grounded in national security calculations—the encroachment of NATO on Russia’s borders, the placement of missiles in NATO member states, etc. But on Monday he didn’t sound cool and calculating, and he didn’t spend much time talking about NATO. He sounded like he was in the grip of simmering discontents about events dating back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and even before. So does that mean this invasion wasn’t about NATO and national security?
Charles Eisenstein - Feb 28
A true prayer for peace cannot be only “Let this war end.” It must be nothing less than “Let all war end.” …We are rightly appalled at the invasion of Ukraine. But where were these sensibilities when our own countries and alliances invaded Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and countless other countries?
Hanzi Freinacht - Mar 2
10 Key Insights Into Russia-Ukraine
What is a sober and clear way of understanding the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine as a whole?
Lene Rachel Andersen - Mar 3
The War in Ukraine: An Old World and a New One
Two worlds are colliding, and the collision is raging through Ukraine…. The old world is the world of the modern, industrialized society. In its extreme form, modernity becomes a hypermodernity that has no love of life, no joy, only contempt and force. Putin’s attack on Ukraine is hypermodern. It is a relic of the Cold War, and the hot wars that went before it. It shows the dark side of modernity where technology at an industrial scale is used to kill freedom, beauty, and life itself.
We all have an obligation to choose on which side we stand. We live in such an inherently beautiful world, and this past week, Ukraine has stood up for it for all of us.
Tomas Pueyo - Mar 4 (pay wall)
The Future of the European Union
Will the war in Ukraine finally unite it?
So here are five necessary ingredients to make the EU into a global superpower:
Focus more on what Europeans have in common than on their differences.
Put universal human rights at the center of European discourse.
Make English co-official across the EU.
Unify the military.
Unify the foreign policy.
Without that, the EU will remain a backwater.
The Stoa - Mar 4
Global Guerrillas Report: Swarms vs Nukes w/ John Robb
"The global, open-source movement, composed of nations, corporations, and individuals, has assembled in just a few days to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is now conducting swarming attacks on the country with the most nuclear weapons in the world. The rules of nuclear peace that kept us safe for eighty years are in tatters."
After this very sobering Stoa session, one of the Crafting Communitas crew members suggested we convene and we did.
The Jim Rutt Show - Mar 4
Currents 055: Paul Goble on Putin’s Strategic Mistakes
Continuing his series of expert interviews on the unfolding situation in Ukraine, Jim talks with Paul Goble, a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious issues in Eurasia. They discuss Putin’s view of Russia as neglected & ignored, Russians’ difficulty making ethnic distinctions between Ukrainian & Russians, Putin’s unintentional unification of Ukraine & NATO, what Putin & most analysts got wrong about the military balance, Putin’s misplaced faith in superior firepower, the ethnic makeup of the Russian military, why the backlash from the West was stronger than Putin expected, the West’s unprecedented non-kinetic response to the invasion, effects & non-effects of the Western sanction regime, Russia’s infosphere & increasingly closed internet, why Russian anti-war sentiment will increase, challenging bets against a continued Ukrainian resistance, Ukrainian resistance to the Soviet Red Army in 1945-1955, high effectiveness of low-tech resistance, Putin’s coming claim of victory & why it would be Pyrrhic, what Putin would do in reaction to violence against him, the likelihood that NATO’s increased coherence will continue, why China will probably not move on Taiwan in the near term, and much more.
Jeff Salzman - The DailyEvolver Podcast
Recorded Mar 4
Ukraine: Putin‘s War on Modernity
Vladimir Putin’s romantic Russian nationalism has metastasized into megalomania. Will Russian society go along? Will the modern world? Witnessing the heartbreak and resistance of the Ukrainian people.
Jules Evans - Mar 4
The West should resist any calls to directly engage Russia in war, while supporting Ukraine with military and financial assistance. Let Putin reap the reward of his folly, and suffer the domestic consequences.
Hanzi Freinacht - Mar 5
10 Action Points on Russia-Ukraine
What can we, as citizens of the world, do to avoid the worst consequences of the war in Ukraine and to make “the best” out of a grim situation?
There is great irony in what Hanzi Freinacht advocates. At this moment in time our priority is to save western civilization by defeating Putin in Ukraine no matter how long it takes. But the moment the war is won we must again realize that western civilization is not worth saving. It is extremely fragile and unsustainable. We must build a radically better civilization with a totally different operating system.
Greg Thomas - Mar 7
Zelensky’s Heroism and Contagious Courage
Zelensky and the courageous people of Ukraine who have remained to fight this autocratic incursion are like the David versus Goliath tale in the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament. Recall David’s slingshot victory. For the sake of the world, we hope that this story concludes with yet another underdog on top.
I followed one of the links in the above article.
Robb Smith - Mar 2
Integral Life
Russia Is Catalyzing the Transformation Age
If you tell me that throughout the 21st century we will continue to have a set of nations armed with nuclear weapons, I will tell you there’s a 99% chance that we end up in a nuclear conflict eventually.
CNN - Mar 4
Sean Penn describes meeting Ukraine’s President
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
Pat had brought to my attention an interview of Sean Penn by Anderson Cooper which we then watched together. That inspired us to watch the documentary film Penn mentioned, Winter on Fire. I experienced a wide range of intense emotion watching it.
I felt admiration for the Ukrainian revolutionaries, anger towards the Ukrainian police and sadness because of all the suffering.
And in my head I was having a heated conversation with some of my Canadian relatives. THIS IS WHAT A FREEDOM FIGHTER LOOKS LIKE, I yelled at them. THIS IS WHAT A REVOLUTION LOOKS LIKE. This is the real thing. It exposes the Canadian Freedom Convoy as a farce, a mild protest against largely imagined oppression.
I was motivated to DO SOMETHING, anything to help the Ukrainians, anything to be part of the greater cause. I had become aware that people were booking rooms in Ukraine on airbnb as a means to donate funds. That appealed to me and I tried for about 30 minutes but could not complete a transaction. Next I tried CORE and I was able to complete a transaction in about 30 seconds.
CORE
Support Ukrainian refugees now
A few days ago I phoned my mother, now 102 and still of sound mind. And she still watches the news as has been her practice her whole life. Now the news triggers traumatic, old memories. My mother and father lived in Holland during the German occupation during WWII. I grew up in a family with a lot of unprocessed trauma, some of which was probably unintentionally passed on to me. My mother and I did not talk for long and she does not want to talk about war. She was content to tell me she was fine and content to know that Pat and I are fine.
On October 31, 2019 I visited my mother on her 100th birthday. My mother loves to read and I have shared her love of books since I was a teenager. I noticed the book she was reading, Dutch Girl - Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen. She did not want to talk about the book because it was causing her considerable anxiety. She was being taken back to the time when she herself was a Dutch girl experiencing the trauma of WWII in the Netherlands (Holland).
About twelve days after the invasion the Crafting Communitas Crew met via Zoom. It was a beautiful event that cannot be adequately captured in words. These are people who I did not know eight months ago. But being in their presence now is an experience of psychological safety, authenticity, comfort, insight and more.
I am very grateful for what they and EC have added to my life.
Finally I would like to express my gratitude for Pat. From our first date decades ago, she has listened to me talk and talk and talk. She understands me like no other. She has heard me go on and on about embracing uncertainty. But oh, how our conversation has changed recently. Now as we have our daily coffee together on the terrace, it is about the possibility of a nuclear WWIII. Yet we have been able to do this calmly, without personal anxiety or fear.
What is next? I DO NOT KNOW. No one does.
As particularly meaningful content comes to my attention. I will add to this essay.
I find myself wondering whether the meta has been grounded now – it, too, the victim of Russian artillery, or whether we may, in due course, witness its even stronger rise amid the ruins.
Handwaving Freakoutery (BJ Campbell) Mar 4
Memespace Egregores and Nuclear War
So, when the prospect of global thermonuclear war hits the table, it’s important to watch what the egregores are doing.
And I do not like what I’m seeing.
Jamie Wheal Mar 10
Choke On Grief Or Feed The Holy?
Remember: If you’re not holding a deeply agnostic center line through the culture wars, odds are 10:1 you’ve been infected and the egregore is renting space in your head.
We, the People of the Passage.
Gave me goosebumps the first time I read that line. From the Shire to the darkest depths of Mordor. There and back again, if we can make it.
The War in Ukraine Could Change Everything | Yuval Noah Harari | TED Mar 2
Concerned about the war Ukraine? You're not alone. Historian Yuval Noah Harari provides important context on the Russian invasion, including Ukraine's long history of resistance, the specter of nuclear war and his view of why, even if Putin wins all the military battles, he's already lost the war.
For the first couple of weeks of the war, I was in my head. I wanted to understand. I was very stimulated by an overwhelming amount of good information to process as per the above links.
I wondered about why I was not reacting emotionally as others were. I was aware that I was safe, personally safe, and that I need not take on the emotions of others. I continued to feel gratitude for my own good circumstances. I thought about the Buddhist approach to delinking our emotions from our thoughts. And mostly I was okay with the way I was.
About two weeks after the invasion, emotion hit me. For about four days now I have felt weepy. Mariupol, where 400,000 Ukrainians are trapped, is very much on my mind. Finally, as I write this, there is a report of a small convoy getting out.
I feel some anger towards Putin. How could he do this? Why would he do this? Cognitively I can make sense of this. But that is not enough and I want to sit with my emotions as I continue to process information.
NPR Mar 10
Photos: As millions flee, Russia defends attack on Ukrainian maternity hospital
Perspectiva Mar 4
Root Causes of the war: Diverging political cultures in Ukraine and Russia. By Valerii Pekar.
Some of this video discusses Integral Theory. There's a useful overview and an illustration of the four quadrant map and spiral dynamics in this link here: https://www.dailyevolver.com/theory/ As indicated by Valerii, these maps and tools can be used well or badly - and should not be taken as exhaustive or exclusive accounts of reality.
Yuval Noah Harari Mar 8
The War in Ukraine & the Future of the World - Yuval Noah Harari & Timothy Snyder
Filmed on 2nd March 2022, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this urgent conversation between the historians Timothy Snyder and Yuval Noah Harari explores the implications of the unfolding crisis in Europe. The discussion is moderated by the journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, and was hosted by YES (Yalta European Strategy), with support from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
Perspectiva Mar 7
How to think about Ukraine in the context of the meta-crisis, with Jordan Hall and Jonathan Rowson
One small point made by Jordan that I would like to highlight is this. The metacrisis can only be solved by the collective we. This idea has given me purpose these last few years.
Thomas Pueyo Mar 14
We are witnessing the transition of wars from the 20th century to the 21st century:
Putin is a baby boomer using 20th century media to find support in Russian baby boomers to fight a 20th century war.
Zelensky is a 21st century leader using 21st century media to convince global networks to support him in a 21st century war.
Otto Scharmer Mar 7
In this blog, I invite you to join me in a meditative journey on the current moment. We start with Putin’s war in Ukraine, unpack some of the deeper systemic forces at play, look at the emerging landscape of conflicting social fields, and conclude with what may well be the emerging superpower of 21st-century politics: our capacity to activate collective action from a shared awareness of the whole.
Fareed Zakaria Mar 12
Fareed Zakaria: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine marks the beginning of a post-American era
We may be seeing the reversal of 30 years of globalization.
But for the West to become newly united and powerful, there is one essential condition: It must succeed in Ukraine. That is why the urgent necessity of the moment is to do what it takes — bearing costs and risks — to ensure that Putin does not prevail.
Francis Fukuyama Mar 3
Francis Fukuyama: Putin’s war on the liberal order
This is why the current war in Ukraine matters to all of us. The unprovoked Russian aggression and shelling of the peaceful Ukrainian cities Kyiv and Kharkiv has reminded people in the most vivid way possible what the consequences of illiberal dictatorship are.
The travails of liberalism will not end even if Putin loses. China will be waiting in the wings, as well as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and the populists in western countries. But the world will have learnt what the value of a liberal world order is, and that it will not survive unless people struggle for it and show each other mutual support. The Ukrainians, more than any other people, have shown what true bravery is, and that the spirit of 1989 remains alive in their corner of the world. For the rest of us, it has been slumbering and is being reawakened.
Otto Scharmer Mar 15
As the reckless attacks and war crimes against the Ukrainian people broadened and became more brutal, I found it difficult to concentrate and to continue writing this contemplation on our current moment. What we see unfolding is exactly the kind of massive amplification of absencing — the social field of destruction — that I wrote about in the first part of this essay. The only way out that I found was the way in (to borrow from a great podcast that I will loop back to further down): by contemplating on my personal experience.
Why do I feel confident that we are at the early stage of a new planetary movement for bridging the divides? Because I have seen it. I have felt it. I have sensed it in countless places in recent years.
Douglas Rushkoff Mar 9
In short, it’s okay to sit and stay with the horror that is the war in Ukraine. You don’t have to have an opinion beyond whatever you are feeling right now. The temptation to say more than the obvious is being driven by a media system that profits off this compulsion, and only makes things worse in the process.
umair haque Mar 14
Are We Headed Towards Nuclear War?
You’d be lying and I’d be lying if either of us said: it’s not a worrisome situation. That the thought hasn’t crossed our minds, or doesn’t several times a day right about now. Are we headed towards nuclear war?
The best way I can answer that question is to talk about a documentary I watched a few years ago, and again recently. It was no ordinary one, though. Made by the BBC, it took you inside a war-game — a simulation. Now, when I say war-game, this documentary tracks how our political and military leaders run “games” about how situations ignite — and evolve.
As I write this on March 19, 2022, I am not feeling as weepy as I was. But I continue to pay a lot of attention to the war. And I am now aware of the importance of Ukraine as a supplier of wheat and other food products to the world.
I will now stop recording links and quotations from my reading material.
And I will end with a great cartoon that captures the moment.
I decided to continue adding some more links to information making points that I did not see elsewhere.
Dougald Hine and Ed Gillesie March 22
The Great Humbling S4E4: ‘Are we going to talk about Ukraine?’
We started this podcast in the early weeks of the pandemic, talking about the stories circling around it. A crisis had come out of the corner of almost everyone’s field of vision and became, within weeks, the only thing in the news. Two years on, something similar has happened, so we arrived at this episode wondering whether or not to talk about Ukraine.
I followed some of the links in the podcast show notes.
Ahmed Abdulkareem March 2
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into the sixth day, an outpouring of support for Ukrainians continues to be seen across the Western world. Severe sanctions against Russia have been imposed by the United States, Europe, Australia, and the West in general, amid a flurry of emergency talks at the UN Security Council. The speed of Western retaliation – which includes banning Russia from the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) international banking network and calls to treat Russians as international pariahs in sports, culture, and even science – has raised eyebrows among Yemenis who have endured a relentless bombing campaign and deadly air, land, and sea blockade for 2,520 consecutive days.
BRANKO MARCETIC Feb 7
A US-Backed, Far Right–Led Revolution in Ukraine Helped Bring Us to the Brink of War
Nearly a decade on, the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, as it’s known in Ukraine, remains one of the more widely misunderstood episodes of recent history. Yet understanding it is critical to understanding the ongoing standoff over Ukraine, which can largely be traced back to this polarizing event — depending on who you ask, an inspiring liberal revolution or a far-right coup d’état.
The next article is very, very long and very good. It is the type of big picture, long term viewpoint I appreciate. And discovering a new thinker and writer worth following often has a touch of excitement for me. N.S. Lyons is a pseudonym, so who is this guy really? Goodbye George Friedman.
N.S. Lyons Apr 28
China’s Ukraine Catastrophe, the Rise of Trans-Atlantis, and a New Age of Power
What would emerge out of this in the end, as the world eventually reordered itself? Who knows – but it probably wouldn’t be what anyone is expecting today.
Deep Transformation
Deep Transformation offers dialogues with cutting-edge thinkers, artists, contemplatives, and activists who combine big-picture, integrative perspectives with profound, contemplative depths. With these remarkable people, we explore the great questions of our time, such as how best to live, and how best to heal, learn, create, and contribute in our era of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Visit our website at https://deeptransformation.io/ to learn more.
The Moral Imperative to Help Ukraine: Integral Perspectives on the War, Its Global Implications, and the Role of Warrior Consciousness
The Great Simplification
Recorded November 17th, 2022
Russia - Be Careful What We Wish For | Frankly #17
We were reminded this week of how precarious and dangerous the ongoing NATO/Russia situation is. An errant missile in Poland on Tuesday nearly started World War III (thankfully - cooler heads prevailed). The situation in Ukraine is horribly complex - but are people in the USA even paying attention? Many naively believe getting rid of Putin or ‘winning’ militarily vs Russia are valid and reasonable goals. But from a systems vantage there is more going on here than the mainstream narrative - we are in the liminal space between a unipolar and multipolar world order - a time fraught with various risks. Our collective understanding/response is vital to livable futures.
Bildung, Identity, and Nordic Inspiration in Ukraine
Nordic Metamodern Dec 23, 2022
Awakening From The Narrative Matrix: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
by Caitlin Johnstone Dec 29, 2022
Western analysts spent years warning that western actions would provoke a war in Ukraine, westerners spent four years being propagandized into hating Russia, then Russia invades and now western imperialists say the war is advancing US interests. But remember: it was an “unprovoked invasion”.
Deep Transformation February 23, 2023
Ukrainian psychologist Kateryna Yasko and integral leadership development expert Vytautas Bučiūnas share their first-hand experiences of the war in Kyiv now, one year after the invasion by Russia, as well as their penetrating perspectives on Russian imperialism (“Russia needs to lose this war so they can reinvent themselves”), on why there is comparably less PTSD among Ukrainian soldiers, and the implications for the world if Russia were to win or if it were to disintegrate. They acknowledge the relatively recent “awakening of Europe” to the fact that Putin won’t stop with Ukraine if he wins, and warn that “democracy needs to be fully ready for a possibly long-term battle for its values.”
Kateryna and Vytautas have witnessed how having an overriding mission and purpose has changed Ukrainians, and describe perceiving an unmistakable shift in energy upon crossing the border into Ukraine, where the heightened appreciation for life and the strength and solidarity of common purpose are palpable. What does the struggle for democracy, freedom, and dignity actually feel like? Find out on a planned pilgrimage to Ukraine this fall—both a spiritual journey of awakening and an opportunity to embody the experience of being invaded by Russia. This podcast is also a call for help—if you feel inspired to support the efforts in Ukraine, below are links to three trustworthy organizations working hard on Ukraine’s behalf. Recorded February 13, 2023.
Ukraine! Song written by John Dupuy in honor of Ukraine's struggle for Freedom
I listened to the above podcast and song on February 24, 2023.
Today, February 24, 2024, I read Why Russia Must Lose by Jim Rutt and I totally agree.
A sobering read on October 2, 2024
https://niccolo.substack.com/p/towards-the-endgame
Towards the Endgame?
An eye-opening report from the Financial Times on the War in Ukraine
The news coming out of Ukraine lately has not been very good for Kiev, nor for its western backers.
In fact, the news has been very bad and is only getting worse. Russia continues to grind out victory after victory in the Donbass, with the time between each victory becoming shorter and shorter.