People have had opinions on the world for centuries, and these opinions are based and developed in the adolescent generation. In the age of modern student life, these opinions are not developed or spoken about; however, they should. And something which should be spoken about more is international wars. In particular, one of great human interest – at least it should be – the Russia-Ukraine War.
The Russia-Ukraine War has been raging for more than four years between the Russian Federation (RF) and The Ukraine, it has had disastrous outcomes for both sides including damage to civilian infrastructure, in both the RF and The Ukraine. In the region of The Ukraine and South Western Russia there is mass conscription and military spending, there is also damage to some Eastern European nations from mistargeted military weapons.
From the weapons of the battlefield comes the weapon of the written and spoken word; where around the world scrutiny and defense of both sides too run rampant, not just for this war, but for all events that happen with the century. And there are no more words written or spoken nor ordinance fired upon civilians homes about each topic.
The RF is pronounced the oppressor and The Ukraine the oppressed, and no other word is said about it – and this is not to say the RF is correct in their invasion – however this conviction is exactly the problem. It is that there should be no exact opinion on this because no one is ever sure what exactly happened, unless of course you were there at such an event; and yet, Americans, who are at most of the time at least secondhand receivers of the information, act as if there are not only exact answers, but those answers are rigid and with no middle ground.
In the world of education, especially with its students, there is a wall of misinformation around wars like this where people do not seem to care as they should. War is a deadly and dangerous thing, and no matter where it is around the world, it would always have an effect on how the world functions from what the highest levels of government do about it, to a common family in the Midwest watching the TV screen in fear for the future of their newborn child.
Not only do people not care as they should, but the people who do in fact care, have rigid opinions where the end of the matter is the end of the matter. There is no in between two extremist sides of any conflict. For example, if one was to fully support The Ukraine, they are a freedom fighter; however, if one does not support everything The Ukraine is doing in the war they automatically support the RF and are a Russian bootlicker authoritarian.
From this, one should now be able to discern that someone can not support The Ukraine in the war and still not support the RF either; and this come to the next point, being able to educate ones self to not only form an opinion on such topics, but are able to find some middle ground between the two extremes of whatever the issue may be.
As students this seems difficult, as we are too preoccupied with other joys and sorrows which go along with the age and place where we have been placed to experience it. It is difficult to not only keep up with such news of events, but to also form and germinate such opinions on these material events, I am well aware of this.
However, a large part of this lack of attention to this, is laziness and forgetfulness which are also a part of our age, time, and place. But this is also an easy cure, it is the coming generation’s duty to keep watch on the world and be able to speak up for themselves, this is why such education is important, because it will set one up to not only know what is happening, but have the ability to converse on it and make a change to such circumstances, for it is only you, even as a student, who can do such.
