In the last weeks, we've all seen on TV the sheer destruction taking place in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. Probably the image that stuck with me the most was that of CNN correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reporting from Donetsk airport, the once state of the art complex reduced to rubble in a matter of weeks.
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| Donetsk Airport Before and After |
This image is an admonishment for all of us: peace is not a given, peace is a privilege, and shame on us if we underestimate such basic fact. We always think of stability, especially in the west as a status quo, but this tragedy speaks volumes about our own fragility. Who would have ever imagined that events would escalate so dramatically in Ukraine, the very country which only 2 and a half years ago hosted the the Euro 2012? Did the architects who had so meticulously revamped that airport so that it could welcome the thousands of supporters flocking to Donetsk ever fathom that in a matter of months that building would come to symbolize this human tragedy?
And now, after a shaky truce has been signed by the parts and with a death toll that many believe may be higher than 5000, I cannot but think of Werner Herzog's ominous words:
"Civilization is like a thin layer of ice upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness"
The ice is thin indeed, but that's exactly why education matters. Make it purposeful so that it can help thicken that ice a little.
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