David Rice: his brother's salute to his memory

After his brother David died in the second tower, Andrew Rice was appalled by yet more civilian casualties—this time in Afghanistan.

But Rice chose not to fall in line with those who were determined to show the "other side" that they couldn't mess them about. With grieving relatives of other victims, he comforted the weeping mother of Zacharias Moussaoui.

He explains his approach to the loss of his brother: "I'm refusing to fall in line with what “they” want, which is visceral hatred between two sides; this gives me permission to reconcile."

[You can read more about Andrew Rice's story here and also check out The Forgiveness Project and check out Peaceful Tomorrows amongst the links under BREAKING THE MOULD in my side bar.]

A sketch in the sand, a loosened bond

I've recently come across reports of the Presidential Faith Forum in California in mid-August.

John McCain referred to a guard who had come in and loosened the ropes that bound him so tightly, before returning to tighten them four hours later. This puzzled me when I first read about it, and I didn't initially interpret it as showing kindness to the enemy. Actually it occurred to me that this act might simply have been a variation of the good cop/bad cop scenario, with the same guard playing both roles. But I've since found the transcripts of this forum online and the additional details make it clear that this 'qualifies' as kindness to an enemy in a relatively recent war. (As ever, I hope to come across more recent kindness towards enemies. Today, last week, last month, last year...)

Following the transcripts of the Forum Responses, it seems it was the same guard who approached McCain, while he was praying on Christmas Day, and who drew a cross in the sand with his sandal, leaving it visible for a minute before rubbing it away.

Come to think of it, did McCain ever return to Vietnam?

Did he ever try to track down that guard?

Courage and compassion during Black July

A report based on an address by Dr Palitha Kahona in Toronto last week, has appeared online in the Sri Lankan Sunday Observer. It included a reference to a comment by Dr Nallai Nallainayagam on his family's experiences during the Black July of 1983. (I have been unable to locate the original.)

“The riots brought out the worst and the best of human traits. Some neighbours who have lived in harmony and peace for a long time turned informants, guiding the mobs towards Tamil homes. At the same time, many Sinhalese and Muslims, both neighbours and strangers, risked their lives to protect the lives of Tamils by hiding them in their homes and feeding them till they could be taken to safety. My family sought refuge in the house of a very close Sinhalese friend and was well looked after for more than two weeks due to the kindness and the generosity of this family and friends in the Muslim community. We have no words to thank them for their bravery and kind heartedness”.