Putin, the Least of These and Our Own Hearts
Six weeks ago, I had open-heart surgery. As I lay in recovery with nothing but TV and time on my hands, I watched the world's response to the thinly veiled Russian invasion of Crimea unfolding on the news. Like a bully in a schoolyard, Vladimir Putin went into the vulnerable region of Ukraine to take what he wanted. And like a bunch of confused bystanders, world leaders tried to walk the fine line of defending the bullied without incurring the wrath of the bully. The problem is, the bully knows that the bystanders aren't going to really stick their own necks out for the victimized unless the bystanders have a personal stake in the fate of the bullied. So the world stood by as Russia annexed Crimea. And the world is still largely standing by as 40,000 Russian soldiers flex their muscles on Ukraine's eastern border.
As I lay in my recovery room watching events unfold, for me it was very personal. My newest granddaughter came home from the Crimea just months ago – and clearly in the nick of time. Had Crimea been controlled by Russia at the time of her adoption, this beautiful girl would have remained an orphan. You see last year, Mr. Putin suddenly and callously cancelled all international adoptions of Russian children. Bullies have little shame. The policy is a travesty that should outrage all compassionate people.
But unless they have a personal connection to the region, most Americans don't know much or care much about Crimea or Ukraine. Most are certainly not familiar with the number of and prospects for orphans in the region. Last year, I met many orphaned children at my granddaughter's orphanage just outside Crimea's capital city of Simferopol. I met children who were not going to be adopted in Ukraine because they might have a disability or be considered too old. But every time westerners like me came to visit and a child left with a new family, these orphans experienced HOPE – hope that one day a mom and dad would come for them.
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The airport in Crimea's capital was quaint. But as the invasion played out in real time on TV, there was nothing quaint about masked men with automatic weapons standing on the same sleepy portico where I waited for a flight just a few months ago. My first thought was "now the darkness from Russia has spread to Crimea and my granddaughter's friends just lost any chance for an international adoption." Little did I think then that this could be the fate many, many more children in the rest of Ukraine.
In America and the rest of the West, too many of us have become apathetic bystanders. We dismiss the misery and tyranny of others as long as their tragedy will not disturb our personal peace and affluence. This is more than ethnocentricity – it is nothing less than narcissism.
In commenting on the situation in Crimea just after it happened, President Obama stated that Russia is not America's number one foe. To my surprise, I had to agree. The greatest threat to America's wellbeing is the tendency of far too many Americans to harden their hearts towards anything that doesn't directly affect them. This serious heart condition is sucking the life out of our nation. In the oft-quoted words of political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, "America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." Our cultural shift to narcissism is a sickness that is contributing to the decline in America's greatness.
But de Tocqueville also offered hope for an America in decline. "The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults." Reversing the pervasive narcissism in America will require a humility that looks up to the God who has blessed the nation since her inception and looks out to the needs of others, whether at home or across the globe. In other words, America is in serious need of some heart surgery.
Speaking from personal experience, I can assure you that heart surgery is not pleasant – but sometimes it better than the alternative.
The orphans in Crimea, Ukraine and across Russia need Americans to care about their plight. We must speak up on their behalf to ensure that they are not paying the price for Russia's bullying tactics just as we should stand for those who love liberty and justice for all.
My granddaughter from Crimea is finishing her first year of American High School, going to church, going to dances, learning to play tennis… perhaps just like your granddaughters. Just the other day, she hugged her mother and said, "Thank you for coming to rescue me. For what you paid to rescue and adopt me, you could have bought a car!"
Like my granddaughter, the many children who now remain in orphanages in Crimea and around the world are priceless. We must open up our hearts to them and advocate on their behalf. It might cost us something – it might even hurt a bit – but it might also be the first step to our own healing.
