The Spiritual Foundations of an Unbreakable Ukraine During the War

Authors

Olena Rohova, Communal institution of higher education «Dnipro Academy of Continuing Education» of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council»Follow
Tetiana Lysokolenko, Communal institution of higher education «Dnipro Academy of Continuing Education» of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council» Dnipro, UkraineFollow
Iryna Karpan, Communal institution of higher education «Dnipro Academy of Continuing Education» of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council»Follow

Author ORCID Identifier

Olena Rohova: 0000-0001-5498-6897

Tetiana Lysokolenko: 0000-0003-1545-8682

Iryna Karpan: 0000-0002-1921-5373

Abstract

An analysis of the spiritual foundations of the ability of Ukrainian society to resist the illegal military aggression of a country whose resources significantly exceed those of Ukraine. Ukraine’s unbreakability is connected to the dominant values and worldview of its representatives, which include spirituality responsible for the resiliency of individuals, the plasticity to perceive challenges of fate, and the responses of radical changes of being. The central idea of resiliency includes the revival of the most important religious, cultural, and historical factors of collective spirituality in Ukrainian society. The religious values introduced into the Ukrainian culture by Christianity as a result of objective historical development turned out to be the pinnacle of the spiritual development of society in the days of trials. First of all, this was manifested in the collective understanding of the essence of being as an ascent to a more perfect, high inner quality -- response to the demands of the spirit and circumstances. Secondly, the foundation of unbreakability also lies in the value-based recognition of the other as one's neighbor. Thirdly, the importance of vitality relies on the ability to endure by rising above what has happened and reaching another level of being and understanding. Fourthly, being unbreakable has another dimension: the freedom of self-creation with responsibility for the consequences of one's own self-realization. Fifthly, unbreakability is considered from the standpoint of the art of self-organization. Sixthly, unbreakability is defined as a meaning-making component of survival itself in the direst existential challenge: life or death. The article presents separate representations of internally agreed directions for revealing national features of spirituality based on traditional Christian values in their interrelation, which have actualized the spiritual potential and abilities of Ukrainian social forces for powerful resistance to military aggression.

Recommended Citation

Rohova, Olena; Lysokolenko, Tetiana; and Karpan, Iryna (2025) "The Spiritual Foundations of an Unbreakable Ukraine During the War," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 45 : Iss. 9 , Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2686
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol45/iss9/6