Two institutions with which I have the honor to be associated have recently had birthdays, this newspaper and the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy where I teach political science. They have much in common: both were founded (Kyiv-Mohyla was actually revived) after the Soviet Union had collapsed and are free of the deadwood inherited from the era of "mature socialism." More importantly, both are doing what they can to overcome the inertia of what used to be. Den does it by giving an unvarnished portrayal of the bad situation this country is in; Kyiv-Mohyla does it by trying to create a critical mass of young people who are competent their fields according to Western standards, able to participate in world intellectual discourse, understand what their opposite numbers are saying, and to apply that knowledge to try to get this country out of its current mess.
"In the beginning was the word," the Bible begins. Both newspapers and universities live by the word. Words are the building blocks we use to try to make the world and universe understandable and describable. We try to expand both our knowledge and our vocabulary in order to somehow grasp the conundrum of post-Soviet Ukrainian reality, and everyone who has dealt with this country knows that seriously trying to make things better means being in it for the long haul. In fact, even my students, the best and the brightest of their generation, often despair of ever being able to change things here for the better. One can only take pride in being associated with two institutions dedicated to making things better and in it for the long haul. Happy birthday, Den. Happy birthday, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Many happy returns!






