Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Article: 7 Unexpected Responses To Hatred

Whether based on religion, race, nationality or sexuality, overcoming the made-up rivalries society thrusts upon us takes people with strong will, especially in the face of peer and societal pressures. And yet, humans are always capable of surprising us. In these cases, they rose above the prejudice and the hate and decided that some things are just wrong.

1. These soldiers were supposed to kill each other. Instead they celebrated together.

On a World War I battlefield in Belgium in late December of 1914, British and German soldiers decided to put down their weapons and celebrate Christmas together. In what came to be known as the "Christmas Truce," the men exchanged food, gifts and stories, sang carols, and even played a soccer game right there in between the trenches. More importantly to some, it allowed both sides an opportunity to bury the many dead strewn across the battlefield. Knowing full well that these soldiers would find it difficult to fire on the very "enemy" they had just befriended, the generals simply replaced the troops.


2. This unlikely partnership showed the true power of love, forgiveness and redemption.

In August of 2012, a white supremacist entered a Milwaukee Sikh temple and opened fire, killing six people, including the father of Pardeep Kaleka (above left). Just weeks after the tragedy, Kaleka was contacted by a former white supremacist who wanted to meet up and do something to prevent further violence. Though initially unsure, Kaleka eventually did meet with Arno Michaelis (above right), a 42-year-old former white supremacist who says he contributed so extensively to the movement that he may have influenced the shooter in someway.
Kaleka wanted his dad's memory to be a force for peace and believes that Michaelis' story proves people can turn away from a life of hate. One and a half years later, Kaleka and Michaelis together run Serve2Unite, a community group to counter violence with peace.

3. This pastor got kicked out of his church for officiating his gay son's wedding. His response was amazing.

In 2000, Rev. Frank Schaefer, pastor with the United Methodist Church found out that his 17-year-old son Tim was gay and considering suicide because he didn't know how to deal with it. Schaefer didn't believe it until his son came out to him personally. Tearfully, the Schaefers accepted their son, telling him they loved him "no matter what."
Years later, Timmet the love of his life and got engaged. Rev. Schaefer and his wife were ecstatic, and then Tim dropped something else on him: They wanted him to officiate the wedding. "Absolutely," Shaefer said, despite the realization that this wouldn't sit well with his church. He presided over the ceremony, but was suspended by his church and later removed as a minister altogether. Schaefer has been adamant that he'll not only continue to spread God's word, but that he'd continue to do so within the LGBT community as well -- which includes performing gay weddings.

4. This teen showed what happens when you respect even those who hate you.

In June of 1996 in Ann Arbor, a fairly liberal town in southeastern Michigan, the Ku Klux Klan scheduled a rally at city hall. When locals heard the news, 300 protestors, including Keshia Thomas, then 18 years old, turned up to to counter the KKK. A mere 17 Klansmen participated in the rally, grossly outnumbered by the protestors. When one white supremacist got mixed in with the counter-demonstration, the event turned violent, with the KKK member falling to the ground getting kicked and beaten with sticks.
People shouted "Kill the Nazi," and it could have turned deadly if not for Thomas, who jumped on top of the man to protect him from the mob's blows. She very well could have saved the life of a man who was there to actively promote hate of people like her -- a man who might not have cared whether she herself lived or died.

5. An Israeli soldier had his life saved by the people he probably least expected.
In 2007, a member of the Israeli Defense Force accidentally drove into the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank. Upon noticing, Palestinians surrounded his car, forced him out and began beating him in the street. Before the IDF officer could be killed, Palestinian Authority soldiers intervened, rescuing the Israeli just as his car was torched by the mob. Islamic extremists were unhappy that they were denied the opportunity to kidnap the IDF officer, but the Palestinian soldiers proved that humans are capable of peace, even when it isn't the norm.

 6. A police officer had an unexpected reaction to a Bulgarian protester's plea for peace.

In November, the youth of Bulgaria attempted to occupy the Bulgarian Parliament building in opposition to Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, whose political appointments earlier this year outraged the public. When their attempts to occupy were unsuccessful, they took to the streets and broke through police barricades.
With previous protests over the summer ending in police-sanctioned violence, both the police and the country's youth were on edge. That led to this captivating image, which, according to the person who uploaded the image, shows a young woman pleading with an officer not to use violence. The police officer was also reportedly in tears, telling the woman, in a show of understanding, empathy and solidarity, "You just hold on girl."

7. The Westboro Baptist Church planned to picket the funeral of a fallen soldier and former student. The school had something else in mind.
                              
Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, a Texas A&M alum, died tragically in June of 2012 when a fellow soldier shot him and injured another before turning the gun on himself at North Carolina's Fort Bragg. When everyone's least favorite religious hate group, the Westboro Baptist Church, announced that they were planning to picket his funeral, the students of Texas A&M said no thanks. Hundreds and hundreds of students showed up to the funeral and formed a maroon wall (the school color) to prevent the WBC from being seen or gaining entry. Though they planned on attending, when put up against hundreds of college students united for a cause, the WBC was mysteriously absent.
By Andy Mc Donald

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