A wise taxi driver in Lagos Nigeria once told our family why he thought America was so great.
He posed his wisdom as a question, of course, as the wise often do ... giving the learner pause to reflect.
"Do you know what makes your country so great?" he asked. In comparison to Nigeria and the corruption and turmoil he was familiar with there were many things that crossed our minds as possible answers. "You have ONE language, and ONE currency" was the sage reply. Decades have passed since that conversation, but his wisdom has persisted as a guiding light for our support of a strong single national language and currency ... not because we don't see the value in learning other languages, but because in countries with no central (or multiple national) languages fractionalization and isolation occur ... weakening the overall unity and stability of the government. After all, that was Lenin (and his successors) big push - one language for all of Mother-Russia.
And so the debate continues ... is Ukrainian the national language, or does Russian have as much a claim on the governed?
Out here in the west, a sign shows which way the people support - "One Ukraine, One Language." This banner hangs outside the main government building in Lviv, the capital of Western Ukraine, and is a constant reminder of the deep running Ukrainian pride and nationalism felt in the west.
