"We're becoming fewer in number, and it won't be enough to simply give birth to a child," says Masi Naim.

Recently, I wore a sweater that I bought eleven years ago.

At that time, it was during the revolution, on December 25. The sweater cost an astonishing 400 hryvnias. I also remembered how, the day before my arrival at Okhmatdyt, I bought jeans and the next day I was clearing out debris at Okhmatdyt. When I finished, I texted my girlfriend that I had ruined the jeans… and prior to that, I had bought jeans about five years ago. She replied:

– I’ll buy you new ones.

– It’s better if you just have kids for me.

– Why? So that later something like this happens at Okhmatdyt and harms the child?

Recently, in Aspen, I heard a terrible but logical opinion: if a child is born today, they won’t be productive for another 18 years, at best.

This means that to counteract the fact that our numbers are dwindling, we will not only need to give birth to a child but also raise and protect them… for 18 years.

I feel like we are like trees. That will be cut down faster than we can grow.