The media doesn’t yet have a clear picture of what is going on in Kursk in Russia. If Ukraine has crossed the border and are attacking a city inside Russia then that is quite a development. The part that I truly don’t get is reports of Russia stating that this is a “large-scale provocation”.

Firstly, who cares what Russia has to say. Secondly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is pure evil, so for Russia to moan about anything is just ridiculous. Imagine a murderer being caught red handed and then the media publishing complaints from the murderer stating that they were mistreated, etc. And thirdly, who gives a continental about anything to do with Russia. Whatever Russia has to say cannot be trusted. For all we know, Russia could make up a story about Kursk so that they can try mobilize more Russians to be sent to the meat grinder.

I often think this is like an episode of Candid Camera and someone is going to reveal the hidden camera soon and show us all that this has been one big setup. How can this war still be raging on, in this day and age, with clear atrocities being committed by Russia, week after week, and still have Russians at the Olympics, at other sporting events, at the United Nations, on holiday all over the globe, etc. How can Western companies still be operating in Russia and still look at themselves in the mirror. I just don’t get it. If the free world were united with common values and all cut Russia off then this war would have ended a long time ago.

The past week in Kyiv has been one big blur. I have been running around, seeing friends, attending meetings, working on our film, and trying to stay cool. The heat wave in Ukraine and other parts of Europe is intense. Throw in the electricity outages caused by the Russian attacks on the infrastructure and you have a lot of people who are sweating, literally. One can’t run an air conditioner when there is no electricity and everyone is hoping for some cooler weather soon. And yes, there have been air raid sirens blaring just about every day this week and on Tuesday night some drones were shot down and I heard explosions in the small hours of the night. The new “normal” is anything but normal. But still, life goes on. It is inspiring and sad all at once.

Earlier this week Anton and I pitched “We Are Ukraine” at the Odesa Film Festival which this year took place in Kyiv, because Odesa is less safe than Kyiv. We made a rock solid presentation and it was a good experience. I spent the whole day listening to all the other pitches and the war was the backdrop for just about all of the projects. A film festival in a war … yes, life goes on, albeit painfully. The pandemic of 2020/2021 came up a few times in some of the discussions on the day. People here say things like “Pandemic – those were good times”. This war is a nightmare and God knows when it will ever end.

Having spent the biggest part of my adult life in South Africa I know all about electricity load shedding. It is bad for the mood, the economy and everything else. One thing that is on my mind here in Ukraine is this : if the Russians keep attacking the electrical infrastructure then could the situation get worse. Can the entire electricity system be destroyed?! My question was answered by Prof. Glib who said to me that if that happens then it means we have another Chernobyl crises in Europe, because there are 3 nuclear power stations in the West of Ukraine and if Russia attacks any of those then it is a whole new kind of catastrophe. And if that does happen then the assumption is that the global community will finally step in, and if they don’t, well, then there is no global community. At this stage of the world’s development I think it is fair to say that anything is possible.

On Thursday we had 4 hours of electricity in our apartment building. My training from SA has served me well. Charge phones, laptop, power-banks, etc. When you walk in the city you do see and hear generators all over the place. Restaurants, for example, are all open and, well, people need to eat, and live.

Last night we attended the closing event of the film festival and it was pretty busy. The evening started with the host requesting a minute of silence for all those soldiers who have been killed defending Ukraine. There are many film makers and artists fighting at the front lines and some of them have died.

Earlier this week there was a thunder storm one evening and the rain was very welcome. It is still too hot here in Kyiv but that is the least of everyone’s problems. The sound of thunder gave me a bit of a fright. A few times I had to check the air raid alert app because it sounded like the city was under attack. The week before the world witnessed the bombing of two hospitals in Kyiv. The evil brought on by the Russians knows no limits and yet, there are geniuses in the West that believe they can negotiate peace with Putin. Hubris!

Have a look at this footage from the one hospital that was hit by a missile last week. This is happening now, in Europe, in this day and age, and the world just watches. Yeah, so much for the global community.

This winter could see a humanitarian crises that Europe has never experienced before. The electricity situation here is worrying. And the evil Russians are not stopping. They will keep going until they are stopped. It is that simple. If they are not stopped then this evil will spread beyond Ukraine. Who is going to finally help Ukraine to stop them. I mean, truly help Ukraine. All these pledges and promises. WTF?!

I read an open letter “The Nato alliance should not invite Ukraine to become a member” in The Guardian. It made my stomach turn. But let’s say, for this discussion, that this letter is on the money. So, Ukraine doesn’t get to join the club. Ok. But why not give Ukraine the weapons it needs to defend itself. And why make Ukraine fight with one hand tied behind its back. Why all the rules and restrictions about what Ukraine can and can’t do. WTF ?!

The free, democratic world is not without its flaws. But If I had to choose between America, say, and Russia, I would choose America. I would never be able to sit and write this if I was living in Russia – I would be in trouble if I did. There is much about America that is rotten and broken, but again, it does allow for freedom of speech, and of expression. Same in Europe. I could go on and on here, but I am sure the point I am trying to make is pretty straight forward.

Russian propaganda is a very real thing. They are masters at this and they never stop. The bottom line is, and you can choose to ignore this one fundamental point: Russia will not stop unless they are stopped. Ukraine is fighting this war for Europe and the rest of free world, whether people believe to accept this or not. They are paying the ultimate price for their freedom, and for the system (again, with all its flaws and challenges) that we all would rather be living under, that of the free, democratic world.

Yes, there are wars all over the place, and they are all tragic and painful, but this is not just another war. This is about a superpower that has demonstrated that it is evil and constantly lies. Think for a minute how mad things are when it is this very same superpower that took over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month. I can’t be the only person to be thinking that this all one insane joke.

This is a war between superpowers, and Ukraine is doing the heavy lifting, and paying the ultimate price. This is a war between good and evil.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Would you want to be friends with a bully or a bullshitter. What about a bully and a bullshitter – who wants to do business with people like that. I try and avoid any crazy people. I am sure most normal people also try stay well away from parasites. And yet, if you look at the world today, so many bullies seem to be winning. From the corporate world to politics – maybe it has always been like that. I don’t know anymore. Anything is possible these days.

The upcoming American election is the ultimate example. I am also of the view that Joe Biden should let another democrat take his place, but it doesn’t appear like that will happen. And my bet is that Trump will become president again. It is all so hard to believe.

Let’s say that Trump does in fact become president again. What does that say about the values of the world we live in.

If Donald Trump shot someone dead, and it was recorded on video, for the world to see, would it make any difference? I reckon that no one in America would change their vote. Yes, I know this sounds crazy, but this is what I bet would be the case.

I am not sure how accurate this is, but this is what I found now with a Google search : “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” Trump remarked at a campaign stop at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. “It’s, like, incredible.”

What a world we are living in. I will also bet that Trump is going to be the President again.

That famous line from an interview with Gandhi has been on my mind again. When a reporter once asked Gandhi what he thought of Western civilization, he famously replied: “I think it would be a good idea.”

The world has become more dangerous, not safer, from my perspective.

If the world had armed Ukraine faster and better this could have been avoided, in my view. And now, any dictator with nuclear weapons is going to feel very cocky knowing that there will be little resistance for their potential aggressive actions.

The numbers below in the pie chat are just staggering. And this is in one year. Wow, imagine if this kind of money was spent building hospitals and schools and helping to feed those who are starving.

I fear a bigger war is coming. I hope I am wrong though.

Last week Sunday I had a cool adventure with the Bunster. We went for a joy ride on a Bolt eScooter and it was just brilliant. We had tried this quite a few times over the past year and we never got more than a meter or two, but last weekend things just clicked into place and Bun and me were burning rubber through the city of Wroclaw. It is a very pretty city and it is flat, so you see lots of bicycles everywhere. eScooters on bicycle lanes are the business. Bun and I will do this again very soon for sure.

That adventure with Bun helped me to forget about all my problems. I was just hanging on to the handle bars, making sure Bun was safe and that he was not going to fall off. The wind was blowing in our hair and I could see that the Bunster was just loving every minute of it. We must have been on that eScooter for 20 minutes in total and yet it felt like just a few seconds. That is relativity and that is love.

Speaking of problems, the war in Ukraine is raging on, and things are not sounding good. I will be back in Kyiv next month and will see friends and colleagues and will get a better feel for things then. On my last visit home to Kyiv, which was not so long ago, the new mobilization laws were about to be passed, and now that these new laws are in place there is an additional level of stress and trauma that is haunting all men under the age of 60. And it is causing havoc with families.

Everyone I know in Kyiv loves their country and all of them want Ukraine to win the war and they all want to help. But not everyone wants to be a soldier. It is heartbreaking, and I feel helpless about the situation. God knows when this insane war will end and what will happen. I believe Ukraine will win the war, but the price everyone is paying just keeps on rising.

Everyone has problems. But the trauma of a war is not something I ever thought I would ever experience. I learned so much about life since the start of this full scale war. I have learned so much about myself. Everyone I know in Kyiv has changed. I have changed. I hope that when the war is over that some of these changes remain. I don’t wish this trauma and pain on anyone, but there are good things that are a result of this struggle. We all appreciate things that we used to take for granted. Family is the most important thing, and health too. And when it comes to friends, we may be friendly with many people, but true friends are rare. A person is lucky if they have a handful of real friends.

The Bunster has some cool buddies. I love the innocence of the 3 and 4 year olds in Bun’s kindergarten. I love the way they play together in the late afternoons, when kindergarten is finished for the day, and everyone gathers at the one playground across the way.

If you ask any parent if their kid is special the chances are they will confidently say “Yes”. And that’s the thing. All kids are special. So the question I would like to leave you with today : with all these special kids in the world where do so many ordinary adults come from … ?

Yesterday Marta went to a birthday party of a friend of Bunster from kindergarten. I wish I had been there. I like that friend of Bun’s, and he has cool parents. Marta was very excited by that birthday party and wrote some inspiring text. I am sharing it here.

Yesterday my son and I went to the birthday party of his friend Braxtyn. It was a busy, noisy, fun. A perfect party for a little boy! We enjoyed it so much! But there’s a story that I have to tell. A story about kindness.

My son is scared of heights and usually he doesn’t like to climb to the top of the jungle gym. Once the whole crowd of kids gathered they joined my son on a more safe attraction. And instead of running away and leaving him behind they showed empathy to their friend. They could have gone to climb the bigger structures but they stuck with the Bunster. No pressure from parents, nothing. Just genuine compassion, love. It lasted maybe 90 seconds and my son felt comfortable enough to climb higher.

Conclusions:

1. Thank you moms and dads for raising such amazing kids. I believe children learn by watching the best examples from their families.
2. Helping others with an open heart and not judging is a beautiful thing. I wish I had that more in my life.
3. Encouragement is more powerful than punishment or criticism.
4. Love kids’ birthdays with all my heart.