Although strife, conflict, animosity and grief are words that can be used to describe the past few years on a national and international level, one that has not been in short supply lately is courage.

On a county level, there has been plenty of courage among our health care workers to go around during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Butler County Health Care Consortium Health Care Worker Recognition breakfast on Thursday recognized local doctors, housekeepers, dietary aides and maintenance personnel working at health care facilities.

While honoring 27 people at the event, it was noted that COVID-19 has caused stress, anxiety, depression and other negative effects.

But Samantha Skibinski, a registered nurse and assistant director of nursing at Donegal Township's Quality Life Services, noted that employees at QLS met the challenge.

"(Employees) did a fantastic job," she said. "One of the beauties of going through this was seeing everyone pull together, no matter the challenges."

Going head-to-head with a deadly pandemic requires bravery, and county health care officials have risen to that challenge every day for the past two years.

Another obvious example of courage in the face of great adversity is the Ukrainian people and their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who every day since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of their country have been likely making the aggressor rethink his decision.

In the first days of the invasion, members of the news media debated when they thought that Ukraine would fall to Putin's forces. More recently, they've been discussing whether Putin might eventually be ousted.

Zelenskyy, responding to an offer from the United States to help him evacuate, responded: "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."

The Ukrainian people have displayed great courage and resilience in standing up to a much larger aggressor who has invaded them without provocation.

Putin has long wanted to damage NATO, but has instead united much of the world against him, and Ukraine's defiance — and the response from nations that are now targeting Russia financially and providing Ukraine with support — sends a message to authoritarian bullies.

In our challenging modern world — one that is plagued with a pandemic, war and great political divides — may we all rise to the challenge and find the courage to help others as our county health professionals have done or stand up to those whose aim is to sow discord and cause harm.

— NCD