#PCWeek2014: What I wish Americans knew about Ukraine

Our CEO and Founder Rob Jordan often says the vision for Idealist Consulting was inspired by his experiences as a Peace Corps Business Development Volunteer in Ukraine. In honor of Peace Corps week (Feb 23-March 1) here is his response to a question Peace Corps is posing to all volunteers: "What I wish Americans knew about my Peace Corps country."

I gave a presentation about my Peace Corps service to prospective volunteers some years ago, where I made a comment that resonated with the country recruiter: "I went to Ukraine with the intention to save Ukrainians -- what I came to discover is that it was the Ukrainians who saved me."  In more specific terms, I learned a lot about the strength of the human spirit and what the important things in life are.  Ukrainians have a threshold for surviving and enduring a level of suffering that I have yet to see any American possess.

Initially I thought this was weakness or lack of ambition to change things.  However, I realized it was an expression of strength under a very difficult geopolitical situation that has stretched out over hundreds of years.  Ukrainians live in a limbo of political stalemate between Russia and Europe and the outcome has been a people that are incapacitated by circumstance that was out of their control. Until now.

The Kiev riots we see on TV are truly a sign of a people at wit's end.  The Ukrainians, for all their strength and ability to suffer, have said "enough is enough".  I can assure you, if a Ukrainian is brought to the level of violent revolt, things have gotten very bad.  Please consider this when you read or watch these riots.  This is serious -- and they need our help and compassion.