“There is only one way in which one can endure man’s inhumanity to man and that is to try, in one’s own life, to exemplify man’s humanity to man.”
~ Alan Paton, South African writer and anti-apartheid activist
When terrible events occur — such as the atrocities of war in Israel and the Middle East last week — it’s difficult to write about the small victories and struggles of daily life as we know them. Our troubles pale in comparison to the horrors we see and hear happening in other places.
Many years ago a friend who had spent some time in Israel shared a little bit of perspective that stuck with me. The distance from Israel to the Gaza Strip is less than 40 miles. Can you imagine if Rifle was Meeker’s sworn enemy, and our two local governments were lobbing missiles at each other from time to time? I can’t.
Man’s continued inhumanity toward his fellow man feels overwhelming, hopeless, and futile. After thousands of years of wars and rumors of wars, genocide and oppression around the globe (including on our own soil, not so very long ago), how is that that humanity hasn’t learned anything from its past mistakes?
I like what Alan Paton, author of “Cry, the Beloved Country” and other novels, had to say (see above quote).
We can rant and rail about who is responsible for what, we can pound our fists and stomp our feet and take sides and try to prove our point, whatever it may be, but none of that has any impact, except to add fuel to the fire. What we can do, however, is to start where we are and show our own humanity to one another. In the big picture view, where ugliness and hatred and cruelty abound, those small acts of goodness and mercy may seem insignificant, but they’re not.
Be kind. Be sincere. Look for the similarities, not the differences, in people. Demonstrate good moral character. Insofar as it depends on you, be at peace with others and with yourself.
