Thank you dear Viktor for respecting and honoring us older adults. We are not stereotypes. We are not all falling apart, forgetful, needy, drooling, weak. We have been through so much already, and I appreciate wholeheartedly Viktor your respect for us as viable, worthy, ALIVE human beings, hopefully with some wisdom of experience to share.
I just saw a clip of elders in wheelchairs being zip tied in the Capitol. This isn't even ageism any longer. This is full blown fascism. The disabled were the first to be dehumanized and gassed in nazi germany. Killing everyone off who doesn't meet some mar a lago beauty standard?!
No one stays 20 forever. Or unwrinkled or bright eyed or able to jump tall buildings at a single bound.
Thank you for these words, dear Beth, I am really honored for them and I read them slowly like something sacred. You're right, it's not about age, but about presence, dignity, survival . That power that comes from lived and enduring so much and still choosing to care. If anyone has earned the right to be heard, it’s those who have already watched the world fall apart and stil got up the next day to rebuild it. You're memory in motion. You are what holds all of us together when things start to break. Please never doubt that your voice matters, here, there and everywhere («to lead a better life, I need my love to be here» - sorry I couldnt say that without thinking about the Beatles!) I see you and carry your wisdom like a torch. And I pray the world listens before it repeats what you have already survived! 💙
Thank you my friend. These connections are what matter most in today's world. My grandfather was from Dnipro, a family of grain merchants before he came to the US (Kansas, fields of grain) 100 years ago. So Ukraine lives in my heart and soul. I'm told my ancestral last name means pursuing storms or winds over fields of grain. That's kind of how I feel these days, the necessity to be fierce and true like nature.
Our struggles for truth and freedom and humanity are the same, we are not so far apart, in countries fighting for their very souls.
Yours is the voice of Ukraine, so needed, so dark with the light of truth. Thank you thank you thank you. We hear you!
I love you quoting the Beatles lol ... You are embedding light into the darkness, and this is your dharma, your mission, your calling. It is no small thing, and I am humbled by your respect and honor of what is most sacred.
Still choosing to care -- ah, yes, and that is the depth of what binds us as humans, the courage and the strength and the willingness to persist and to endure.
May you be blessed, so much gratitude for your noble and humble spirit. You are a beacon for us all. And you are also the bridge to a better future. Be well, stay safe, we see YOU as well and care deeply.
Yes, if you search for it you'll see it was covered in many news outlets. This is why dei isn't fully correct -- it's actually DEIA, for ABILITY. All four respects are being erased.
At today's protest, one gentleman's only way of communicating was by using an electronic device. THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM HIM, and zip tied his hands together! THEY TOOK AWAY HIS VOICE! I am angry and disgusted and brokenhearted. And I am so very proud of my generation, choosing to stand on the inside even when they can't stand up on the outside. I am 77 years old, but I'm not finished yet – – – not by a long shot!
Rosemary right with you! We elders are showing up in the tens or hundreds of thousands, if not more. I'm proud of our generation. I see the haters mocking us as aging hippies or other epithets but I could care less about their stupid insults.
I will be 77 end of this year. They may not make it even this far.
I too am angry and disgusted and not finished. I volunteer in California's prison system (qigong/meditation), and I can tell you that the respectful, earnest, compassionate men in my sangha are legions in character and honor above these real thugs.
My goodness — thank you so much for your kind words! I truly feel that we all learn from each other. I know that I’ve learned more from the suffering and the genius of the incarcerated than I could ever imagine. A humbling journey for sure. And an honor to be trusted by them, men of color trying to stay sane and do better in an oppressive system.
Well, Kristi Noem is certainly trying to stay unwrinkled so hard her face can’t move. What a collection of sociopaths! They are almost parodies of themselves. Miller is a ghoul and he looks the part. Kennedy is a crazy burnout; the women are nearly indistinguishable; and then there’s the flat out Mat Hatter posing as president and delusional ruler of the world. We are all living in the funny farm along with him and we didn’t even get a pre-nup!
Nora thanks for the laugh, in such a serious conversation! You're right, they are parodies of themselves. They're all wearing masks of makeup and cosmetic surgery and hair extensions and we can imagine all else that is utterly fake. And so dangerous. I googled mar a lago face & there you have it. Funny farm is apt. So thankful for our Substack community and look at what Viktor is building here! Be well everyone & take a nourishing break from this insanity ...
Thanks again, Viktor, for your words of insight and encouragement. I’m 67 and have been to several protests against the current U.S. president. My generation will not be silenced!
Viktor you always amaze me with your writing. You are a true friend across the pond. I am always moved by your writing. Such compassion when you are in the middle of a war. My dad had a little
Book during WW II that he wrote. I found it after he passed away. He was in the army and served in Europe. He was shot in the back and was a paraplegic. Your writing reminds me of how my dad was towards others-giving of himself, caring about others. He would give the shirt off his back if thought someone needed it more than him. Please stay safe Slava Ukraine 🌻💙💛🇺🇦🇺🇸
Today senior citizens (many in wheel chairs) were protesting the Medicaid and Medicare cuts in trumps Big Ugly Budget. They were handcuffed with zip ties and arrested. What has our world turned into?
The Gestapo and KGB have been resurrected but this time in the USA. We all see it and know it is true. Ukraine must stay free. The USA has lost it’s freedom but we must fight to get it back and to help Ukraine survive. Keep contacting Congress. Do not stop. Keep protesting. Keep displaying the flags of Ukraine and the USA. Refuse to listen to Fox News and their propaganda. Refuse to believe anyone in Trump’s government. It is twisted untruths and out right lies. Only the people can save our democracy now.
It is for people who are capable of connection, empathy, compassion, to speak out to those that can hear us & those too young or inexperienced to understand that bad things can happen to any of us. It matters. It matters that we march and that we write and that we call.
Thank you, Viktor, for your eloquence in describing this to us.
Thank you, Viktor, for your insights. You help us to see with our hearts. I am always uplifted by your amazing capacity to continue giving in the midst of war. Your strength inspires us all!
Thank you! I’m in Canada watching with horror! Is this really my ‘friendly’ US? More young people need to read history or even historical fiction if it’s easier to digest . How are we going back to what our relatives fought against ? ( my distant relatives are from Ukraine and Belarus ! ). Everyone is an immigrant! Praying for oneness and love, not divisiveness and hate!🙏☮️💜🌎🇺🇸
Although I miss my parents terribly, I wonder if maybe it's just as well that they didn't survive to see what the world is becoming, again.
When my mother was only 5 years old, she arrived in Canada after the long voyage on a great steamship, clutching the hand of my grandmother, who was also very young, alone and facing another long voyage overland to find her new home in Toronto. Her husband had arrived months earlier, in order to find a job and a home for his little family.
My grandmother never talked about her past. She hardly talked at all. She was guarding a big secret. Even though they had moved half a world away, she was afraid that she might accidentally give it away. You see, she was a jew, married to a christian man, escaping from Nazi Germany. I can't imagine what it was like to have to hide who you are from neighbours, friends and even family. To live in fear of the police coming to take you away, to make you disappear.
It's happening again! I can hardly believe it. Anyone that Donald Trump disapproves of, whether because of their race, nationality, religion, gender identity or just because they posted something negative about him online, is living with the fear that they could be made to disappear. It isn't safe for me to visit my relatives who live in the United States. I used to cross the border just to go shopping, but not any more. Now, Canada is having to spend billions of dollars to prepare for war! All because of one man, and the people who obey his orders, even though they know that what they are doing is wrong, because they're afraid of him.
How can fascism be back? How can hatred be ruling the world, again? Maybe it's just as well my parents didn't live to see this. It's like a virus that just keeps evolving, keeps coming back no matter how many vaccines and anti-virus drugs humanity develops to fight it.
God bless everyone who hasn't given up fighting. May this finally be the last time.
Viktor, thank you for always showing us what we can be, what we should be. The signs are all around us, in the hands of protesting seniors, and in every move the regime makes pushing us toward the doomsday for democracy. We see you, we hear you, we appreciate you.
Thank you dear Viktor for respecting and honoring us older adults. We are not stereotypes. We are not all falling apart, forgetful, needy, drooling, weak. We have been through so much already, and I appreciate wholeheartedly Viktor your respect for us as viable, worthy, ALIVE human beings, hopefully with some wisdom of experience to share.
I just saw a clip of elders in wheelchairs being zip tied in the Capitol. This isn't even ageism any longer. This is full blown fascism. The disabled were the first to be dehumanized and gassed in nazi germany. Killing everyone off who doesn't meet some mar a lago beauty standard?!
No one stays 20 forever. Or unwrinkled or bright eyed or able to jump tall buildings at a single bound.
Nor would we want to.
Thank you for these words, dear Beth, I am really honored for them and I read them slowly like something sacred. You're right, it's not about age, but about presence, dignity, survival . That power that comes from lived and enduring so much and still choosing to care. If anyone has earned the right to be heard, it’s those who have already watched the world fall apart and stil got up the next day to rebuild it. You're memory in motion. You are what holds all of us together when things start to break. Please never doubt that your voice matters, here, there and everywhere («to lead a better life, I need my love to be here» - sorry I couldnt say that without thinking about the Beatles!) I see you and carry your wisdom like a torch. And I pray the world listens before it repeats what you have already survived! 💙
Thank you my friend. These connections are what matter most in today's world. My grandfather was from Dnipro, a family of grain merchants before he came to the US (Kansas, fields of grain) 100 years ago. So Ukraine lives in my heart and soul. I'm told my ancestral last name means pursuing storms or winds over fields of grain. That's kind of how I feel these days, the necessity to be fierce and true like nature.
Our struggles for truth and freedom and humanity are the same, we are not so far apart, in countries fighting for their very souls.
Yours is the voice of Ukraine, so needed, so dark with the light of truth. Thank you thank you thank you. We hear you!
I love you quoting the Beatles lol ... You are embedding light into the darkness, and this is your dharma, your mission, your calling. It is no small thing, and I am humbled by your respect and honor of what is most sacred.
Still choosing to care -- ah, yes, and that is the depth of what binds us as humans, the courage and the strength and the willingness to persist and to endure.
May you be blessed, so much gratitude for your noble and humble spirit. You are a beacon for us all. And you are also the bridge to a better future. Be well, stay safe, we see YOU as well and care deeply.
Beautifully written Beth. I stand along side of you and respect you highly.
Oh Kristie thank you so kindly. I'm so honored to be part of this community. Bless you.
Was this today the elders in wheelchairs were being zip tied? I missed that! Unforgivable!
Yes, if you search for it you'll see it was covered in many news outlets. This is why dei isn't fully correct -- it's actually DEIA, for ABILITY. All four respects are being erased.
Yes, Mary Trump showed it on her podcast this afternoon. I'm infuriated.
Thank you for remembering and sharing
At today's protest, one gentleman's only way of communicating was by using an electronic device. THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM HIM, and zip tied his hands together! THEY TOOK AWAY HIS VOICE! I am angry and disgusted and brokenhearted. And I am so very proud of my generation, choosing to stand on the inside even when they can't stand up on the outside. I am 77 years old, but I'm not finished yet – – – not by a long shot!
Rosemary right with you! We elders are showing up in the tens or hundreds of thousands, if not more. I'm proud of our generation. I see the haters mocking us as aging hippies or other epithets but I could care less about their stupid insults.
I will be 77 end of this year. They may not make it even this far.
I too am angry and disgusted and not finished. I volunteer in California's prison system (qigong/meditation), and I can tell you that the respectful, earnest, compassionate men in my sangha are legions in character and honor above these real thugs.
They will not silence us.
Bless you Beth. Love from Queensland Australia.
Irena thank you - and bless you too! How lucky you are to be in Australia at this time.
Thank you Beth Witrogen for sharing your wisdom and your word to support the resistance. Thank you for educating us.
My goodness — thank you so much for your kind words! I truly feel that we all learn from each other. I know that I’ve learned more from the suffering and the genius of the incarcerated than I could ever imagine. A humbling journey for sure. And an honor to be trusted by them, men of color trying to stay sane and do better in an oppressive system.
Well, Kristi Noem is certainly trying to stay unwrinkled so hard her face can’t move. What a collection of sociopaths! They are almost parodies of themselves. Miller is a ghoul and he looks the part. Kennedy is a crazy burnout; the women are nearly indistinguishable; and then there’s the flat out Mat Hatter posing as president and delusional ruler of the world. We are all living in the funny farm along with him and we didn’t even get a pre-nup!
Nora thanks for the laugh, in such a serious conversation! You're right, they are parodies of themselves. They're all wearing masks of makeup and cosmetic surgery and hair extensions and we can imagine all else that is utterly fake. And so dangerous. I googled mar a lago face & there you have it. Funny farm is apt. So thankful for our Substack community and look at what Viktor is building here! Be well everyone & take a nourishing break from this insanity ...
Thank you for honoring these people.
Thanks again, Viktor, for your words of insight and encouragement. I’m 67 and have been to several protests against the current U.S. president. My generation will not be silenced!
Viktor you always amaze me with your writing. You are a true friend across the pond. I am always moved by your writing. Such compassion when you are in the middle of a war. My dad had a little
Book during WW II that he wrote. I found it after he passed away. He was in the army and served in Europe. He was shot in the back and was a paraplegic. Your writing reminds me of how my dad was towards others-giving of himself, caring about others. He would give the shirt off his back if thought someone needed it more than him. Please stay safe Slava Ukraine 🌻💙💛🇺🇦🇺🇸
Terri, your father sounds like someone to be proud of. No doubt some of him lives on in you.
Thank you for the kind words
Today senior citizens (many in wheel chairs) were protesting the Medicaid and Medicare cuts in trumps Big Ugly Budget. They were handcuffed with zip ties and arrested. What has our world turned into?
Thank you for pointing out from so far away what too many Americans still refuse to see.
Thank you Victor. Your words are beautiful and precious. Slava Ukraini🥳🇺🇦💖
Victor, this is so poignant. The photos with these beautiful people and their signs speak so much truth
Thank you for honoring older folks like me.
The Gestapo and KGB have been resurrected but this time in the USA. We all see it and know it is true. Ukraine must stay free. The USA has lost it’s freedom but we must fight to get it back and to help Ukraine survive. Keep contacting Congress. Do not stop. Keep protesting. Keep displaying the flags of Ukraine and the USA. Refuse to listen to Fox News and their propaganda. Refuse to believe anyone in Trump’s government. It is twisted untruths and out right lies. Only the people can save our democracy now.
It is for people who are capable of connection, empathy, compassion, to speak out to those that can hear us & those too young or inexperienced to understand that bad things can happen to any of us. It matters. It matters that we march and that we write and that we call.
Thank you, Viktor, for your eloquence in describing this to us.
Indeed, it matters that we must speak up. Silence is complicity, or at least construed to mean as such.
Thank you, Viktor, for your insights. You help us to see with our hearts. I am always uplifted by your amazing capacity to continue giving in the midst of war. Your strength inspires us all!
Thank you! I’m in Canada watching with horror! Is this really my ‘friendly’ US? More young people need to read history or even historical fiction if it’s easier to digest . How are we going back to what our relatives fought against ? ( my distant relatives are from Ukraine and Belarus ! ). Everyone is an immigrant! Praying for oneness and love, not divisiveness and hate!🙏☮️💜🌎🇺🇸
elbows up neighbor.
love from florida, where the government has been corrupt for over a decade.
Although I miss my parents terribly, I wonder if maybe it's just as well that they didn't survive to see what the world is becoming, again.
When my mother was only 5 years old, she arrived in Canada after the long voyage on a great steamship, clutching the hand of my grandmother, who was also very young, alone and facing another long voyage overland to find her new home in Toronto. Her husband had arrived months earlier, in order to find a job and a home for his little family.
My grandmother never talked about her past. She hardly talked at all. She was guarding a big secret. Even though they had moved half a world away, she was afraid that she might accidentally give it away. You see, she was a jew, married to a christian man, escaping from Nazi Germany. I can't imagine what it was like to have to hide who you are from neighbours, friends and even family. To live in fear of the police coming to take you away, to make you disappear.
It's happening again! I can hardly believe it. Anyone that Donald Trump disapproves of, whether because of their race, nationality, religion, gender identity or just because they posted something negative about him online, is living with the fear that they could be made to disappear. It isn't safe for me to visit my relatives who live in the United States. I used to cross the border just to go shopping, but not any more. Now, Canada is having to spend billions of dollars to prepare for war! All because of one man, and the people who obey his orders, even though they know that what they are doing is wrong, because they're afraid of him.
How can fascism be back? How can hatred be ruling the world, again? Maybe it's just as well my parents didn't live to see this. It's like a virus that just keeps evolving, keeps coming back no matter how many vaccines and anti-virus drugs humanity develops to fight it.
God bless everyone who hasn't given up fighting. May this finally be the last time.
Viktor, thank you for always showing us what we can be, what we should be. The signs are all around us, in the hands of protesting seniors, and in every move the regime makes pushing us toward the doomsday for democracy. We see you, we hear you, we appreciate you.
Damn right, Viktor! We are trying!