An 18-year-old boy is conscripted into war. A mother is fleeing her home with her children, leaving her husband behind to fight. A young couple,married on the day of the invasion, is now fighting for their future together. 

These stories are just a few of the many that are unfolding in Ukraine right now, but all of them deserve to be heard. 

Lately, many people have been feeling helpless and saying, “What can I do to help? I live hundreds of miles away and don’t have anything to give them.” While not all of us have the ability to donate money and resources to Ukraine, everyone is capable of reading an article and turning on the news. 

I have seen some people want to turn away from what is happening because it is hard to watch, which is understandable. However, that is exactly why we can not turn away. The least we can do for Ukraine is educate ourselves on the war to prevent something like this happening again. Not now, not ever. What we know now must be continued to be passed down to many generations to come.   

Modern World History and World Geography teacher Jon Ohlde said when people do not understand what is happening in the world, they have a hard time seeing how conflicts continue to arise.

We have to learn from situations like the war in Ukraine as it is important that we are active and informed participants in our democracy, according to Ohlde. He mentioned the saying, those who forget and do not learn from the past are destined to repeat it. 

“If history repeats itself, I think sadly, as a human race, we haven’t been able to figure that out yet, we still have conflicts, and wars, and hatred and destruction and, you know, I hope that we can figure things out as a global community,” Ohlde said.  

If you take the initiative to educate yourself, Ohlde said, you are going to have a better understanding of what is currently happening in the world, why certain policies develop, and why listening matters so much. 

“I would hope that if we learn about events like this, and we learn about wars and conflicts in the past, and how they still go on today, I hope that we can figure out as a human race that this is not the best way to solve problems,” Ohlde said. 

It is our responsibility, as outsiders in times of conflict, to be witnesses to what is taking place, even though it can be difficult.  

If you cannot donate, the least you can do for Ukraine is take the time to learn about their stories so we can prevent history from repeating itself yet again. 

Afterall, a story dies if there is no one willing to listen. So listen, and share what you learn. Do not let Ukraine’s story die. 

Because although tragedy is terrible, there is nothing worse than a tragedy forgotten.