Mindfulness and resistance

We live in challenging times, but we all face the same choice

Mark Hackett
8 min readFeb 25, 2022
Photo by Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash

Hello readers,

In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I wanted to take a moment and write this short piece that I hope you will find some encouragement in. We live in a challenging and frightening time. It’s easy to believe that the world is coming apart at the seams and we are powerless to stop it.

What we are watching unfold in Ukraine feels especially dark: a tyrant swallowing up another country whole. The images of bombings, children seeking shelter, and fathers separated from fleeing families to fight the invasion is as heartbreaking as it is angering. As someone who works on issues related to armed conflict, some of the images I’ve seen online present strong evidence of Russian war crimes.

Vladimir Putin may believe he knows how this ends, but history shows us that men who start wars rarely get to end them on their terms. War is hell and chaos. Some of us feel like we can’t bear to look at another crisis. But bear witness we must. It is the most human thing we can do, both for the Ukrainian people and ourselves.

Searching for wisdom and hope

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

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Mark Hackett
Mark Hackett

Written by Mark Hackett

Writings about faith and culture from Memphis, TN. “That relentless, tall guy.”

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