In our previous post, Existential Democracy, we introduced the Emerge Ukraine Pilgrimage set to take place in Kyiv at the end of September. We gave an update on the nature of the Emerge project — “community as service” — and its relationship to the war on Ukraine — “an axial event”.
Our colleague Ivo Mensch is now on the ground in Kyiv preparing for the gathering. He urges us to consider the implications of this conflict and why our involvement matters — not just for Ukraine, but for the resilience of our broader democratic landscape. As we move from the philosophical to the practical, the question becomes: What does it mean to be present in a world where democracy is under siege? How do our actions — or inactions — shape the outcomes that follow? What does it mean to stand with others, not just in solidarity, but with the understanding that our fates are intertwined?
The stakes here go beyond mere geopolitics and strike at the heart of our shared democratic values and the role each of us plays in defending them. This conflict, far from being a distant or abstract concern, calls on us to reconsider our collective responsibility—something our colleague Ivo invites you to reflect on further below (previously posted on Increasing Life).
We invite you to join Ivo in this contemplation and consider whether your presence matters in Ukraine this fall - for you, Ukraine, and the future of open societies.
Tickets to the pilgrimage are available here.
~Kylen Preator, Managing Director, Perspectiva
I’m writing this from Kyiv where I arrived just over two weeks ago - five years after my first visit to this beautiful city. Despite the strains of war, the people here remain friendly, and the atmosphere relaxed — reminiscent of my time in Berlin, where I had the pleasure of living for six years. I intend to stay here for another two months or so, right up until the Emerge Gathering, which Emerge is co-organising with members of The New Thinking School, a collective of brilliant Ukrainian thinkers and courageous civil society leaders.
Why Am I Here?
Imagine if Putin had succeeded in his plan to conquer Ukraine in three days. Some of the Ukrainians I’m organising the event with could be in jail or refugees — some might not be alive today. I’m here to ensure they don’t feel abandoned. Being part of a network like Emerge must mean something to the people who are a part of it.
Ukraine’s survival as a free nation matters not only to its people but also to the future of the world. I believe this is the defining conflict of our time, one that will determine whether parts of the world succumb to authoritarianism and which remain open and free.
If you want to see what authoritarianism is like, look no further than Ukraine’s occupied territories where torture, rape and abduction of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children is on going. Russia’s genocidal playbook aims to erase Ukraine’s culture by eliminating its civil society leaders, thinkers, writers and artists. The false narrative they push is that Ukrainians and Russians are really one people. This is why a ceasefire alone will never equate to peace.
I believe a Ukrainian victory could prevent future wars driven by imperial ambitions, and slow nuclear proliferation. Russian defeat and the decolonising of the Russian Federation could signal the end of the autocratic and imperial mindset, much like Japan and Germany had to lose in order to move beyond such thinking. (If you want to learn more about why a Ukrainian victory matters watch this clip of Yale history professor Timothy Snyder on why Ukraine matters).
But most importantly I am here because I believe my presence matters. I believe imagination and the story about what is real sit at the heart of this event. A pilgrim is not a tourist but rather someone who exercises their power of presence and imagination in service of shaping the world for the better.
Imagination is both a precursor to and an integral part of what becomes real. If you understand this, you understand Russia’s intent — trying to make its lies real by destroying cities, erasing Ukraine’s stories, artifacts, rich history — and ultimately its collective identity — as the invasion was based on a false belief that Ukraine is not a real country. This is why your presence matters: it is not only an act of defiance against authoritarianism and cultural genocide, but a powerful affirmation of Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign nation — and by extension the rights of all democratic nations. Simply being here is an act in the service of freedom and sovereignty.
That’s enough. I have been welcomed with nods of approval and even gratitude, when people realise I am not from around here, as if I am living proof of Ukraine not being forgotten, 900+ days since the full-scale invasion began. Although its Ukrainians who have been under threat during this time, I have actually been called ‘brave’ by some. To me, bravery involves overcoming fear, which was never the case for me. I think perhaps I am bad at anticipatory anxiety, but I mostly I hope I can consider myself well-informed and rational.
Although most air alarms don’t result in actual attacks but rather the possibility of one, they sound frequently. Real attacks do happen of course, and I’ve experienced a few loud explosions, which are interceptions by air defenses rather than impacts. You get used to it and you do what you can to mitigate risk. But even laziness becomes a factor — do I trust the air defenses and stay in bed or get up and wait it out in the windowless bathroom? I admit to hitting the snooze button on the alarms more often than not.
Street scene experience of an air alarm
The odds of being harmed are statistically very low (cycling regularly in London is much more dangerous according to an AI agent). But not everyone manages anxiety through rationality — imagination plays a significant role. Imagination can fuel either courage or fear, depending on which story we think ourselves a part of. Ukrainians chose courage and, and I invite you to do the same.
I Am Here to Learn About Courage and Resilience
The courage became clear right after the full scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022. After a few days, I started hosting online calls to support Ukrainians and offer a space for othersto hear their stories.
Those first weeks were simply crazy. New people joined, seeking connections and to expand their networks. We helped with fundraising, sourcing and shipping humanitarian goods, and finding places for refugees. There were stories of small, agile trust networks popping up overnight — networks that were effective when legacy NGO’s like the Red Cross, built for yesterday’s world, proved largely useless. The Ukrainian mind was already primed for agile initiatives, honed during the Maidan revolution of dignity in 2014, and in response to Russia’s military meddling in eastern Ukraine.
There was plenty of tragedy of course, but also a lot of laughter. Ukrainian humour is a real thing and speaks to how they’ve dealt with a history of hardship, including genocide. I learned a lot about the Ukrainian mindset and what sets it apart from Russia’s. It’s not just a belief that things can change through struggle and resistance, but also what a healthy nationalism can look like — one that is not predicated on a sense of superiority or entitlement to others’ lands, but on valuing and defending what you’ve built. This is something we’ve forgotten in many parts of the West.
There was little self-pity during the meetings. Anyone who came with an ‘oh those poor Ukrainians’ attitude quickly realised that wasn’t the way to engage. Why were they able to show such resilience despite struggle and hardship taking a real toll? I learned the term ‘Subjectnist,’ which roughly translates as agency but is broader and deeper. Arguably, it is this element of the Ukrainian collective psyche — a distinctive collective identification with a kind of individuated and networked agency for the greater good — that shapes their strength of character and enables them to organise and fight back.
It Matters Beyond Ukraine
I invite you to learn of the resilient spirit of the Ukrainian people. The lessons learned in building trust networks are deeply relevant for the rest of the world. In a world, arguably in the early stages of collapse, these collective action skills are vital. It’s also ok if you simply want to experience the culture of hospitality, warmth, and humour.
On the grounds of St.Sofia, where a part of the Pilgrimage will be hosted
So far, it’s been an uphill battle to get people to come. I realise I am part of a network that aims to hold space for a lot of things. It is a difficult task to function as a broad memetic, political, societal, and spiritual space of emergence for all the people and organisations involved. And some things are just sexier than others. Being the ‘single-issue guy’, asking a big-picture thinking crowd to come is unsexy. War is ugly too, but it’s real, and we shouldn’t turn away from it when it affects friends in our network. To ground Emerge so it doesn’t devolve into a place where we indulge intellectual and spiritual bypassing, we set the survival of open societies as one of Emerge’s aims.
The invitation is a call to care for, protect, and build the very container in which we can best address the metacrisis, develop our communities, and deepen souls and friendships by gathering and speaking freely without fear of persecution. The thoughts and emotions that are roaming in your bodymind right now, and your freedom to act upon them are governed by the constraints of your social and political environment. That’s what Ukrainians are fighting for, and it’s something we we will all benefit from.
My appeal to you is to come create a world by becoming a pilgrim — exercise your powers of imagination to expand the possibility space for the world we want to see emerge. The alternative is to shrink into comfortable denial, avoiding the moral and ethical inquiries that make you a well-rounded and realized human being.
Ukrainians understand this distinction very well. It’s my wish that you do too. Tickets are available here. Get one. My friends and I thank you. See you in Kyiv.
Ivo
If you’re considering joining, here are some important details:,
The Emerge Ukraine Pilgrimage is a not-for-profit event unfolding over five days in Kyiv, from September 25-29. The journey will take you through sites of historical significance and recent scars left by the current war. The experience offers opportunities to:
Learn about Ukrainian culture, its history and valuable lessons on building trust networks and defending what is valuable
Imagine the future of peace, democracy and security
Examine the relevance of inner development
Discuss the role of spirituality and religion
Learn from Ukraine's resilience and adaptation to uncertainty
We have some inspiring speakers confirmed who will offer insights into Ukraine's struggle and resilience. Among them are:
Volodymyr Yermolenko, a renowned Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, will share his unique perspective on Ukrainian identity and its place in Europe and beyond.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights lawyer, will discuss her work in documenting human rights violations.
Yevhen Hlibovytsky is a prominent Ukrainian public intellectual, strategist, and founder of the Frontier Institute. He is a member of the Nestor Group, an independent expert group designing long-term visions for Ukraine. Hlibovytsky is also a lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University and serves on the supervisory board of Ukraine's Public Service Broadcast.
Mykhailo Wynnyckyj сurrently Deputy Minister of Education, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy" and Adjunct Professor at the Lviv Business School, Ukrainian Catholic University. He holds a PhD in Economic Sociology from the University of Cambridge. Wynnyckyj has served as an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Education and Science and headed the Secretariat of Ukraine's National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance. His research focuses on post-revolutionary institutional design in Ukraine.
Andriy Zelinskyy is a Ukrainian Jesuit priest, military chaplain, and political scientist. He serves as the chief military chaplain of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church and advisor to its head. Zelinskyy holds a doctorate in political studies and has been ministering to Ukrainian troops since 2006. In 2014, he became the first chaplain authorized to enter the war zone in eastern Ukraine. Zelinskyy has spent nearly three years on the frontlines, providing pastoral care and "authentic human support" to soldiers and civilians.
Together, they'll explore Ukraine's fight for democracy, cultural preservation, and justice in the face of aggression. More speakers will be confirmed closer towards the event.
A Pilgrim is not a Tourist
This gathering is called a pilgrimage because it will be a transformative journey, demanding courage and an open heart. The event aims to bring together international participants and local members of the Ukrainian integral community.
Hospitality will be an important ingredient of the pilgrimage. Emerge recently published an interview with host Kateryna Yasko, who shares her wish for others to experience Ukraine's culture of hospitality and her views on cultural maturation and what's at stake in the current moment.
Kateryna Yasko with art from Banksy, in Borodyanka, a place where pilgrims will gather
Meet Kateryna and the team and have a look at the video including the amazing venue of St Sofia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site which will form the heart of the pilgrimage. Experience the conference surrounded by stunning frescoes and mosaics, where centuries of wisdom meet contemporary ideas in an atmosphere of unparalleled inspiration and cultural significance.
For more information and tickets, please visit www.emergeukraine.com. A detailed information sheet can be downloaded here.
If you have any questions about the event, feel free to contact us at hello@whatisemerging.com.
Questions? The next online Pilgrimage meeting September 12 at 6PM CET
You can meet your fellow pilgrims and aspiring ones during our next community event on September 12 at 6PM CET, that is Berlin's time zone.
Join the team and other participants there on Zoom.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87220545303?pwd=qNbzxmUk0WUyy9ZMdDnFdN4C42f396.1
We look forward to embarking on this transformative journey with you. If you know someone who would be interested in joining, please forward this message to them.
Wow. What a delusional framework to understand the conflict. Othering the Russians.
Ukraine is not a democracy. The US led coup in 2014 installed the government sympathetic to their fascist elements who now lead the vanguard.
Wake up.
NATO expansion led Russia to act
Unsubscribe. Delusional western liberal morons