Just Good People Doing the Right Thing and Saving Refugees

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

 

Everyone asks themselves several questions during their lifetime. One of the most frequent is “what is my purpose in life?” For most of us that question is never answered directly. Some refuse to recognize the answer when it comes to them. And others find their own answer, whether or not it is legitimate. The reality is that each of us must seek our own answer, it is within all of us. If we listen closely to our own thoughts, we can solve the question for ourselves.

Anastasiya Veli is Ukrainian and Orhan Veli is half Russian, and they have one thing in common: they have found their purpose. They decided to make a difference. As I write this, the couple has saved 11 refugees from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Although Orhan is not from Ukraine, he is a refugee. His family fled from Azerbaijan when he was just 11 years old, and the Soviet union was breaking apart.

"I was a kid without anything. My parents had nothing. And little by little we were able to kind of build that," Orhan told CBS News. He and Anastasiya live in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Anastasiya moved to the United States from Ukraine when she was 11. They have three children, and recently found themselves in a position where they could do something for others. This is a perfect example of why our nation’s diversity is our greatest strength.

Those of us who are born in the United States often take our good fortune for granted. Those who arrived here from foreign lands who experienced a different quality of life, and felt a different responsibility towards others, are often more likely to consider the lives of others, even people they have never personally encountered.

When refugees began their attempts to leave Ukraine, many of them made it as far as Poland. Anastasiya realized that the problem was, “how do we get them to the United States?”

"Any refugee program takes years. Orhan can attest to that," she said.

Then the answer came. A few weeks after the war began, our government opened a gateway: “Uniting for Ukraine,” a pathway for refugees from Ukraine to come to American. She filled out the forms and was given permission to assist her niece and her niece’s daughter in their efforts to seek asylum in the U.S.

As of today their efforts have saved the lives of 11 people from Ukraine.

This couple is a perfect example of what it means to be an American. Our government refuses to do the right thing most of the time, but many of our people do not. Compassion and understanding remain far more prevalent than anger, hatred, and bigotry, but we don’t hear about the truth often enough.

It is the responsibility of the Fourth Estate to keep our people informed. In 2023 they fail their duties constantly. They are all about increasing advertising revenue, not the truth.

Fortunately, millions of Americans seek the truth for themselves, and find joy and patriotism in the people of our nation.

I seek the truth and pray that what I find is hope for our future, for the future of the United States, believing that someday it can become the greatest country in the world.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-war-russia-couple-helps-sponsor-refugees-veli-family-11-flee/

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