Peace

War is always hardest on children. The atrocities committed by the Russian government in Ukraine have caused me to think a lot about the tragedy and futility of war. When you think about it, is any political objective worth ruining one child’s life?

Often, when we see these tragedies unfold thousands of miles away, we feel like there is so little we can do. We contribute what we can to a relief organization, but otherwise feel helpless!

To force the Russian government out of Ukraine, we can do more. The chancellor of Germany has implored the people of Germany to conserve energy, in order to make it easier to stop importing Russian oil.

The United States produces more oil than any country in the world. If we, the citizens of the United States, would follow the chancellor’s advice, we could free up many millions of barrels of oil that could be used by the people of Europe. Every barrel of oil that we can export to Europe, displacing a barrel of Russian oil, brings the atrocity closer to ending. Perhaps it is the one barrel that will save the life of a child.

I propose that we pick a day a week to stop using gasoline or diesel fuel. It seems like a small sacrifice for the children of Ukraine. I pick Tuesday. I will let you know how it goes!