As I was preparing for my day, finishing up comments on several student papers, reviewing what I would be covering in my morning class, planning when I would make final edits on a manuscript—a typical day for many of us–I received an email reminding me that my presidential message was due today for the Division 20 newsletter. Yikes! I had missed putting that on my calendar. What could I possibly think to write about with such short notice?
Even before I began preparing for my day, I checked the news reports of the ongoing military invasion of Ukraine that is threatening the lives and well-being of so many people. It then became clear what I wanted to write about, and it made me think that sometimes things happen for a reason. Sometimes the reasons aren’t so clear, and it’s unknown how they come to be, but these moments challenge us to think about what really matters.
What matters? One thing I think matters is that we know we have the talents and sense of purpose to do what we do and the reserve ability to put it all in extra drive when the going gets tough. We saw this during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our teaching and research worlds were turned upside down and we needed to revamp how we did just about everything in our daily routines. Division 20 members leaped into collective action and took on virtual classrooms, revised research protocols, stepped in to advise communities and other partners about emergency disaster strategies, spoke up against ageism and other social prejudices that creep in at times of stress, and more. I say this not to pat ourselves on our backs, but to remind us of our power, creativity, and resilience as professionals.
APA recently issued a statement asserting that it “stands for human rights and the psychological and physical health and well-being of all people worldwide. The recent military invasion of Ukraine threatens the life, liberty, physical, and psychological well-being of people in Ukraine and surrounding nations… We are gravely concerned about the immediate and long-term trauma and psychological impacts on people of all ages, families, communities, and the environment. We deplore the human cost of such aggression, including violations of human rights, adverse humanitarian consequences, deep psychological distress, and the loss of dignity and freedom. We stand in solidarity with all who are raising their voices and working tirelessly to protect and safeguard human life.”
I concur strongly and know that moving forward we will need to address the implications of this international disaster on many fronts, and we will be asked to step up to help tackle the far-reaching consequences that will come from the disruption for older and younger individuals alike. I know that Division 20 members have tremendous capabilities to do this, and I encourage our members to reach out to each other during these challenging times as we have done in the past—and to know that it all matters.