We cannot assess the impact that our life will have upon others, others yet to be born.

King Leonidas of the Spartans did not know, as he and his 300 men refused domination of the Persian God-king Xerxes, dying on the beach at Thermopylae, — the effect his life and story would have upon the lives of those yet to be born.

I came upon this story in The Guardian yesterday.  Never underestimate the power, the history-shaping effect of story, words conveying deeds of the life that you have lived.

By Christmas, 50 hardly used FV103 Spartan armoured personnel carriers (APCs), until recently the

property of the British army, and currently in warehouses in secret locations across the UK, will arrive on the frontline in Ukraine’s war with Russia in time for the toughest winter conditions…

The fundraising appeal for the armoured vehicles – tagline “Grab them all” – had only been launched on Wednesday by the Serhiy Prytula charity foundation, named after its founder, a popular comedian and TV presenter with a sizeable online following.

It had been hoped that the $5.5m (£4.8m) required for the major purchase would be secured within a week.

Within nine hours, half of the funds had been pledged by donors, ranging from private individuals to big Ukrainian corporations and smaller high street firms, such as the bedding company World of Mattresses.

By lunchtime on Thursday, there was no need to continue pumping out the calls for cash, and the social media memes that had made much of the conceit of the coming battle between Spartans and Persians, a wry nod to the Iranian kamikaze drones that have been plaguing Ukrainian cities in recent months.

Would I contribute, given the opportunity, to aid the Ukrainians resistance to Russian domination?

I would, in a single heart beat.