It’s good to start the week off in earnest — maybe with something educational. Despite rumors to the contrary, I am occasionally capable of being serious. My friends and I are curious types. We’re curious about life and people in general and what makes them keep on ticking after repeated lickings. We want to grow in understanding — to use our God-given powers of reason to decide for ourselves how we feel about things rather than parrot the rhetoric of news agencies motivated to divide fellow Americans, because that’s what sells. Don’t wait for a punchline here.

The start to this week involved meeting with friends for dinner at Pie + Vine restaurant in Ashland, followed by a short walk to the Ashland library to hear a talk and enjoy a stellar visual presentation by well-known photographer/author Christopher Briscoe.

This was Christopher’s encore performance at the library. As before, he packed the room. He was joined by Ashland High School history teacher and former newspaper reporter Paul Huard. Paul recently returned from his third tour in Ukraine and Poland. A historical overview helped put things in perspective. He reminded us that the Russo-Ukraine war isn’t three years old, but 10. Some refer to it as the Third European War. There’s always a new crop of megalomaniacs among us, and they always convince their minions that it’s the right thing to do their self-serving bidding — the dirty work. Several of us gathered in the library meeting room to focus on and learn about the ravaging aftermath of one of them.

Christopher’s favorite landscape is the human face, and it shows in every image. Each line traces back to a unique story. Eyes reveal a soul mixed with equal parts sorrow and resolve. After Christopher shared his heartbreaking and heartwarming images and the stories that accompanied them, I doubt there was a dry eye around. His first-hand accounts of visiting with valiant individuals and sharing in their collective pain of loss hit the target of our humanity.

In Ukraine, everyone is a soldier. The average age for men fighting this war is 40 to 45. Fifty thousand women serve in the Ukraine army — 15,000 of whom are in the trenches. But, as during WWII, everyone is determined to help in some way, whether by weaving camouflage fencing, engineering drones for the military, singing for donations on a street corner, or training a dog to sniff out bombs. These stories and more are available to read (and see) in Briscoe’s beautiful book, “The Child on the Train and Other Stories in War-Torn Ukraine.” It’s available through Amazon or may be ordered through your favorite local bookstore.

Christopher has started a GoFundMe campaign to help those he meets during his imminent trip back. His plan is to hand deliver hundred-dollar bills to those in need — a farmer who needs a belt for his tractor, a seamstress in need of a sewing machine. A C-note goes a long way in their economy. He’ll post videos from the Ukrainian people thanking us for our concern and for practical help. And they are very grateful just to know someone is thinking of them and they’re not alone.

If the plight of the people touches you, perhaps take five minutes to write Congressman Cliff Bentz at 14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112, Medford, OR 97501 or email him from his webpage at https://bentz.house.gov/contact.

The war isn’t over, but one more Ukrainian winter may mark the end for them. What makes us think Putin will stop with Ukraine? With no serious deterrent, won’t Poland be next, and doesn’t that ring bells? I realize that we as a country have done much to help them. One thing war accomplishes — it unites a people, unless, of course, it’s a civil war.

It’s a tricky business, war, and one to be avoided when possible. Yet war is a pervasive imperfection of a fallen humanity. Human suffering anywhere should be a shared responsibility. Just my nickel’s worth.