Dear subscriber 

There’s been a lot going on the past few days and I don’t want to just add to the noise.

There will be no newsletter about our Drive Tribe today. This isn’t because our members aren’t doing all the amazing things they usually do, its just that pretty much everything takes second place to people being bombed in their homes.

There's the usual crop of people using misfortune for personal gain and promotion but our members aren't among them!

As I write this I’m aware that other wars have been going on that haven’t got the same attention as Russia invading Ukraine but this one is closer to home for those of us in Europe and it feels that we have some power to influence the outcome so we take notice.

The idea of what we can and can’t influence – and how - is fascinating. As well as the usual lobbying of governments, protests and pressuring other people to take action, it feels as though more individuals are taking direct action themselves.

Members of the hacking group Anonymous interrupted broadcasts on the state-controlled TV network Russia Today to show Russians footage of what is really happening in Ukraine.

Members of The European Co-Working Assembly are helping Ukrainian members stay in touch with each other and the wider world through their network, organising help for people to escape. 

Some ethical marketers are researching where adverts appear and letting advertisers know if their ad revenue is being used to support Russia interests, including disinformation sites. 

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has made his Starlink satellite broadband service available in Ukraine and is sending terminals to the country to combat disruptions to the internet.  

Many thousands of individuals have donated millions of dollars in Bitcoin with $1m in a single transaction. Millions more have donated by other means to all sorts of organisations. 

These individual choices all make a difference.

Ukrainian multi-millionaires who have the resources to go anywhere choose to stay and fight. A young soldier, Vitaliy Skakun Volodymrovyc was setting mines along a bridge when Russian forces arrived before he was finished. Rather than flee and let them pass, he blew up both himself and the bridge.

And of course Ukraine’s President made a remark that will go down in history. When the US offered to evacuate him and his family, President Zelensky said "I need ammunition, not a ride".

Some people can't match these acts of heroism but give a little extra that may not be direct action but helps to keep everyone else feeling positive.

Thousands of Latvians gathered at the Russian Embassy in Riga to sing the Ukrainian national anthem with a full orchestra, conductor and soloist. 

At the South Bank Centre concert the London Philharmonic played the Ukraine national anthem followed by Ukrainian born Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto.

Ukrainian operatic baritone Yuriy Yurchuk sang his country’s national anthem in the street outside 10 Downing Street, in a plea for peace.

Ukrainians sheltering from bombs in an underground train station joined a family singing Happy Birthday to their child.

A Ukrainian trumpet player played the National Anthem as bombs were falling and his neighbours joined in, singing along. 

So what about us?

Most of us settle for donating to the many organisations that are providing help to refugees. However little we can do its important to remember that we are never powerless.

"Fear is our real enemy. Fear is taking over our world. Fear is being used as a tool of manipulation in our society."

This a quote from the film A Single Man, about the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Unfortunately, there's nothing new about what is happening now. 

Letting the fear in by focusing on how impotent we are to change things is disempowering.

Many people were already feeling overwhelmed by life and world events before the invasion happened so if you feel like its all too much here’s a little thing that might help:

Make three lists

1. The things you can’t change

2. The things you CAN change

3. The things you can change NOW

Then do some of the things on the third list and you’ll immediately feel better.

Focusing on what we CAN do allows us to change more than we ever thought possible. When we start to use whatever little power we have, even if its only power over own emotions, we are in a better position to help others.

Whatever else we are able to do, the one thing that is in everyone's power is to show compassion – including self-compassion because if we don’t look after ourselves we become a burden on others.

Showing compassion can be as simple as Martyn Sibley reminding us about how difficult it is for wheelchair users to get into underground stations at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a bombing raid when that's the best place to shelter. It could be like Berenice Smith compiling a list of artists, designers and illustrators raising funds for Ukraine, or like Adam Driver sharing a post from Save the Children about how to talk to children about the war, or Bernie Michell telling us about the work of his co-working community and freelancers who escaped with their children after a four hour walk to the border. It could be sharing feel good posts and stories of courage (and fact checking EVERYTHING before sharing).  

There is never nothing we can do.

Each of us can make a difference, based on our own choices and the situations we find ourselves in. Meanwhile, let's hope that all the people living in fear right now will soon have better things to look forward to. 

Thank you for being one of the people who makes a difference. If you have any stories of bravery or compassion to share I'd love to hear them. 

Best wishes
Ann