Civilizational Darwinism: do dark times really create strong people?

Олександр Домбровський
Author's column Oleksandr Dombrovskyi
2 min read

The formula “dark times create strong people” sounds convincing. But Ukraine shows something else: strong people are already here – the question is whether the state knows how to find them.

I often hear this phrase: good times create weak people, weak people create dark times, dark times create strong people, and strong people create good times again.

What is curious is that its author – the writer Michael Hopf – himself called this formula a simplification of generational theory. So it is not a law of history. And Ukraine, in my opinion, illustrates that well.

Strong people already exist

It is obvious to everyone that the times today are indeed dark. But strong people are here. They fight, they rescue, they help others, they keep businesses, the energy sector and communities running. We have enough strong and talented people. So what is the question?

What the trust figures show

According to the Razumkov Centre (a survey in January-February 2026), 94.3% trusted the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, 75% did not trust the government, and 87.2% did not trust the Verkhovna Rada. Meanwhile, a KIIS survey (January 2026) showed: half (48%) of Ukrainians believe that there are effective professionals and leaders among the current authorities.

So it is clear that the problem is not that dark times have not yet “given birth to” strong people. The question is different: is the state capable of finding them, giving them authority and responsibility, creating rules and conditions where competence matters more than loyalty.

Not a hero, but a system

We too often romanticise the role of the hero. Yet a country cannot depend on whether a strong person appears at the decisive moment. What is needed is a SYSTEM that selects professional, honest and responsible people – for state and business institutions. Not as an exception or a lucky accident. But as an everyday norm.

Then we will depend less on historical cycles and “gifts of fate”.

Good times will constantly be created by the right people through strong institutions.

What is stopping us from building such a system?