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Th e traditionally active role of women in Ukrainian society, coupled with the tradition of an active citizenry and self-help of the American democratic system, creat ed a strong foundation for the activities of UNWLA. The needs of our community placed great demands upon the League. UNWLA did not meet the demands with protestations and demonstrations, it simply did what had to be done. In a poem written during his exile in Siberia, our great poet Taras Shevchenko—a man of admirable moral integrity and rectitude—stated: "It is painful to die in prison, but it is worse to be asleep while free." The high standard of living, material comfort and complete freedom of life in the United States represents both a danger and a challenge. The danger stems from the fact that comfort can make a person sleepy—sleepy in the sense that it makes one forget about those who are less fortunate, silences the voice of one's conscience and causes one to avoid reflecting on the meaning of life. It is easy to withdraw into the privacy of one's own life. Unfortunately, many succumb to these temptations. For the members of UNWLA the favorable conditions in this country constituted a challenge, not a danger. Because they enjoyed freedom and material re sources, they felt a sense of obligation to contribute even more toward the causes which transcend and give meaning to, individual lives. Their chosen way often called for sacrifice, but they understood that only in this manner could they secure the survival and freedom of our civilization. Walter Lippman, the well-known American political writer, analyzed the crisis of civil ization, particularly that of American society. He claim ed that the root cause of the crisis was the: "...long period of easy liberty during which men forgot the elementary truth of human existence; they forgot that their freedom was achieved by heroic sacrific...that their rights were founded on their duties." In his opinion, our civilization can be restored and maintained only if we remember and rediscover this truth and re-establish the habits on which it is based. The members of UNWLA keep alive this spirit of sacrifice and moral commitment; furthermore, they educate the younger generation in the same spirit. Some may object that our attempt to preserve our youth's sense of Ukrainian identity does not contribute to the melting-pot of America's immigrant society. Quite to the contrary, it does. Statistics show that there is far less juvenile delinquency among ethnic groups—for example, the Jews and the Chinese—who preserve a strong sense of their own identity and traditional values of family life. I can say, having worked in a juvenile correctional institution which receives delinquents from all the counties of New Jersey, that in the last ten years I have not seen a Ukrainian boy or girl committed to our institution. Over ten years ago, four boys of Ukrainian descent were committed to the institution; however, they were from families who had lost contact with their Ukrainian culture. If there are few delinquents in our community, credit must be assigned to: the Ukrainian family, with the mother as the central figure; our schools; our youth organizations; and our Church. Thus, by preserving a strong ethnic identity we help to educate good citizens. The stability of good marriages and good friendships rests upon mutually shared respect of each person's individuality, opinions and way of life; the same, of course, holds true for larger groups in society. Those who are uprooted have no sense of be longing and no self-respect; they are impoverished, for they do not have the traditions and values which are normally transmitted from generation to generation. Denied their own background, they are neither happy people nor good citizens. In summation, I would like to say that the members of UNWLA are responding to the Zeitgeist properly. In meeting the needs of both American society and the Ukrainian sub-society, they are meeting the challenge they face as citizens of this free, rich and democratic country. While reading about UNWLA's 50th anniversay celebration, I noticed that the main theme of the workshops and lectures was creative and effectual adjustment to change—that is, the proper response to the problems of the present and to those of the future. This openness to change and orientation toward the future is attracting young women who possess dynamic potential, modern sensibilities and idealistic spirit. The new life coming into this 50-year-old organization will lead to a synthesis of tradition and progress. Sure and proud of its past accomplishments, the Ukrainian National Women's League of America can look with confidence toward the future. I am sure that UNWLA will continue to write an important and brilliant chapter in the history of our community in America. 22 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ, ЛЮТИЙ, 1976 Let my voice pierce through time, land, and sea— I bring you my remembrance, my love, my anguish, my sorrow. You left, not having spoken to the end. You were cut off in mid-word. Your life was pushed down a steep precipice, as though it were not needed. In the different Siberian snow you came to rest, by fate forgotten, but I keep you alive in my sorrow, which tears have not washed away. TO MY FATHER Mirtala Kardynalovsky-Bentov Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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