World around Us

Letter to Ivanovna

Hi, durdom! Hi, Ivanovna!

Back in the day, there was a story that struck me. It was reported by the Russian channel NTV. It was like a short by Kusturica....During the war in the Caucasus in the early 1990s a facility for the mentally ill – a durdom* (though it’s probably unethical to call them such) was abandoned. All the "normal" people, the doctors and other hospital staff, were evacuated from the conflict zone, while the sick were left behind. They were left on their own in a destroyed city, in the midst of a war, without water, without food, without light.


However, these people didn’t give up and fall into despair. They created something like a self-rescue headquarters. They got food from neighboring villages, brought water, organized care for the sickest....They survived the chaos and mess, they didn’t give in to the circumstances, and ended up victorious. You should have seen this report. They were a thousand times more normal and better than the most normal of the normal....


What I’m getting at is that it’s not by chance that in these absurd circumstances the site durdom.in.ua has been most appropriate.


I’m always happy to read the stuff on durdom, especially by my favorite contributor Tanya Korobova. I am often brought pictures from your site, even the "evil" ones about me, which help me maintain my resilience in these difficult times :-). In short, thank you for what you do.


Now let’s get to the point. A few days ago I was given the letter written by ivanovna (http://durdom.in.ua/uk/main/article/article_id/5789.phtml).

I am very grate to you, Ivanovna, for this letter.


You can’t even imagine what this letter meant to me. It’s what inspires, gives me strength and hope. After the presidential elections, unfortunately, all you hear are cries of "everything is lost" :-). And then suddenly there’s this huge piece of optimism, hope and energy.


For me this letter was a revelation. I saw that there are people who are ready to fight for the country, for values and ideas that seem to have already been crushed...


This letter gave me something completely new. The feelings were very strong. Remember how in the cartoon WALL-E, when the nice, lonely garbage collecting robot on the dirty, abandoned earth suddenly found a green leaf...that’s exactly how I felt after reading this letter...


...Ivanovna, my dear "durdom-niacs!" Nothing has been lost. We will still vie for our, not their, country. The situation may not be what he had wanted and there are people in power for whom Ukraine is something foreign and incomprehensible... But this is only a regrettable episode, not karma or the final verdict. We will not give up Ukraine.

This bulldozer, as Ivanovna aptly called it, feels no cold or heat...But for every bulldozer there is a trench. This bulldozer won’t continue riding across the country with impunity forever.


I’m ready to fight and work. Let’s work together. For the very least because Ukraine today needs not ambitious political or "intellectual" rhetoric, but people, in the true sense of the word. I’m looking for them and building an effective army.


I accept your criticism of me. I will gladly "take off the crown" as you and Tetyana Korobova suggest. Perhaps I haven’t even realized how over time it’s appeared. I’m with you.


...I’m writing this entry not simply "so that it’s there". I really want to meet all of you – the sincere, good, talented and smart people from the "durdom"...

If possible, Ivanovna, I would ask that you coordinate our meeting either in Kyiv or another region - without cameras, press releases, statements or briefings.


Let’s act!


P.S After reading the letter I thought, Ukrayinska Pravda will probably write: "Tymoshenko seeks like-minded people in durdom" :-)

*durdom = crazy house