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.
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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