Shooting for the Moon

Vulnerability, courage to dream, and power of community.

The last few weeks, I felt helpless and powerless more than ever. I saw that Russians had too much time to impose their views, build a romanticized image of themselves, and rewrite history. They had too much money to bribe the politicians in every country and secure their power in the world’s institutions. They had too much gas and oil to become an irreplaceable partner in international trade. I felt small and insignificant. Who am I to change something so big, so rooted, so dominant?

Growing up, I had never been told I could achieve anything I wanted in this life, but I always believed in it. The women around me put others before themselves. They gave up their dreams, ambitions, happiness, and well-being. I didn’t want to become one of them, even though everyone told me this was how things were meant to be. I passionately resented the stereotypes about women and their place in this world that were pushed on me. At first, my relatives tried to influence me, but with time, they only sighed and repeated that I would never find a husband.

I wanted a life bigger than anything I saw in Belarus. I had so many dreams and ideas about who I wanted to be, and I couldn’t choose: an artist, a writer, a journalist, an actress, a film director, a traveler, a scientist, a pilot, a sailor, a business owner. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to do something creative but also meaningful. I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to break free from the prison of limits and expectations I was confined to. Looking at my life now, I see that I’ve become almost everyone I wanted to be. I played in several amateur theaters and performed in Belarus and abroad. I traveled around Europe and the U.S. I became the first person in my family who left home and moved across the world. I became an artist and opened my art business. I became a writer. I didn’t become a journalist or a film director but a translator for journalists and filmmakers. I’m doing creative and meaningful work that, I hope, is changing the world for the better. Looking back at my achievements, I realized that I am not small. I am not insignificant. I can change things, no matter how permanent or entrenched they look.

When I was a child, I loved watching the National Geographic channel, and the Grand Canyon impressed me the most. Seeing it in real life became an equivalent of achieving the impossible. I remember the moment I saw it for the first time. I felt invincible. I thought I could lift into the air and fly to the stars. I looked at the Canyon and saw little me sitting in front of the TV in a small Belarusian town, watching the vast landscapes in awe. The Grand Canyon looked so far away, almost as if on another planet. I stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and thought there was nothing I couldn’t do in this life. I looked at the intertwined paths among sand and stone and realized I didn’t have to choose only one path. Millions of paths were in front of me, and I could walk them all. The Grand Canyon was so big, but so was I.

The picture I took while visiting the Grand Canyon.

There is so much work and fighting against injustice, lies, and greed ahead. The scale of it is enormous, but I realized the fact that it’s big doesn’t make me small. The fact that it has power doesn’t make me powerless. 

My life’s motto has always been: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”. I felt that the last 1.5 years knocked me down to the ground. The moon I was shooting at was out of reach, and all my attempts to change things seemed futile. However, the reminder has always been in front of my eyes – the word “zorka” means a star in Belarusian language. Over these years trying to reach the moon, I built a community of thousands of people around me. Each is a unique voice, power, and a beam of light. All this time, I thought I was missing the moon, I was already among the stars. I believe that together, we can achieve anything.

Warmly,

Darya

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Email: daryazorka@substack.com

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