A lesson in courage from Ukraine
Nelson Mandela once said, 鈥淐ourage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.鈥澛�
As a rock climber and war correspondent, the Monitor鈥檚 Scott Peterson knows about conquering fear. 鈥淲hen things get difficult,鈥� Scott told me by phone from Kyiv, Ukraine, 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to focus on the job at hand. That doesn鈥檛 leave room for fear or doubt.鈥�
Last month, Scott met with three brave girls who were wounded in the Ukraine war. Each exhibits her own kind of resilience and courage.聽
Yana Stepanenko, age 11, lost both legs in an airstrike. She struggles with memories of the attack and quietly alternates between despair and hope for her future. Kateryna Iorgu, age 12, lost her mother, and her legs were injured in another Russian bombing. She鈥檚 walking now, sometimes with crutches, and resolutely rehabbing. And there鈥檚 15-year-old Anastasia Pryhoda.聽
She drove dozens of carloads of wounded or older Ukrainians to safety. But her rescue missions ended abruptly in May after Russian soldiers opened fire on her car, hitting Anastasia four times.
鈥淪he was clearly aware of the dangers and risks and yet able to compartmentalize it and focus on the task at hand,鈥� says Scott, noting that she continued driving for several kilometers while wounded.聽
As a journalist, Scott says he has to demonstrate courage in bursts. 鈥淏ut most of these girls aren鈥檛 leaving the war zone. They鈥檙e still living here. I just need to sustain my composure until I leave,鈥� he says.
In late February, many Ukrainians were surprised and inspired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy鈥檚 open defiance of Russia. His willingness to stay at significant personal risk was also central to the global outpouring of support. 鈥淚t is breathtaking to witness actual courage. It鈥檚 even more breathtaking when that courage is both moral and physical,鈥� wrote conservative American columnist David French on Feb. 27 in The Dispatch. 鈥淸Mr. Zelenskyy鈥檚] not just speaking against evil, he鈥檚 quite literally standing against evil.鈥�
Today, it鈥檚 Ukrainians such as Anastasia who are taking a stand. She tells Scott that she intends to go to the Ukrainian military academy. 鈥淚 could see her in 10 years leading a company of Ukrainian soldiers. She is a self-starter, assertive, and sharp,鈥� says Scott.
Anastasia鈥檚 story reminds me of the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street, hands on hips, staring down a charging bull. In Anastasia鈥檚 case, it鈥檚 a charging Russian bear. And she鈥檚 not backing down.
