Too many of our fellow persons and fellow citizens are being swept into an elevation of fascism which is the glorification of violence and the domination of the weak by "the strong". Remarkably, the people who do this are not always those who love committing violence, but those who feel vulnerable and who believe (tragically and wrongly) that bullies and fascists will protect *them* if they are enthusiastically subservient to those who threaten terror and brutality.
All these people must be confronted with as much compassion as possible, and NEVER with violence. Force is only justified in response to an immediate and ongoing attack on someone. And even then it must be measured and proportional to the actual (not the imagined) immediate assault.
Too many people are working to make Kirk the Horst Wessel of American fascism.
Here is part of the legacy of Charlie Kirk: his own words.
*******
- “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” AmericaFest, December 2023 (a Turning Point USA event)
- “MLK was awful … He’s not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn’t believe.” AmericaFest, December 2023 (a Turning Point USA event)
- “Death penalties should be public, rapid, and televised.” Wikipedia (French edition), in a panel episode of The Charlie Kirk Show / ThoughtCrime (Feb 2024)
- “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” April 2023, at a Turning Point USA event in Salt Lake City
- “There's not much you can do, folks. You have a government that hates you, you have a traitor as the president. Buy weapons, I keep on saying that. Buy weapons. Buy ammo. if you go into a public place, bring a gun with you and if you live in a state that doesn't allow you to do it, I got nothing for you, man. Thank goodness in Arizona we can carry and we carry.” — October 12, 2023 — The Charlie Kirk Show (Salem Radio Networks)
- “Investigate first, define the crimes later” should be the order of the day. And for even the most minor of offenses, the rule should be: no charity, no goodwill, no mercy.”— How Should Republicans Respond To Fulton County? Indict The Left BY: CHARLIE KIRK ,AUGUST 15, 2023 in “The Federalist
* “They[Black Women]'re coming out, and they're saying, 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously." (https://x.com/patriottakes/status/1679829904026730496?s=20) Thanks to Zeteo(https://substack.com/@teamzeteo)
We must document the real Charlie Kirk, not to demonize him but to confront his ugly, stupid, dangerous, and vile ideas.
We must respect that Charlie Kirk was a person capable of grievous error, but even supporting fascism does not justify someone’s murder. It does not even justify them getting “punched”.
We must resist with joy, passion, learning, intelligence, cunning, and as much compassion as we can muster. We must TRY to be nice. But we must resist fascism and also go beyond resistance to advocate for a state and a society that works to guarantee food, shelter, healthcare, education, opportunity, and caring attention for all. (Caring attention sometimes requires confrontation. Not violence.)
Very well said. Thank you. I also appreciate your including direct quotes with their sources -- so important, and not done often enough in our posts. I appreciate your perspective, your emphasis on nonviolent confrontation only, and your having taken considerable time to include all of these quotes.
Kirk probably said that George Floyd was a “scumbag”. I can’t find a verifiable quote that where he said that Floyd deserved killing although he seems to have said that Floyd got too much attention.
Idiots (not a kind word but one with an interesting history) probably feel that they have found their own George Floyd but (knowingly or not) they are trying to create their own Horst Wessel. We must all do what little bit we can to confront this creatively and responsibly. We must all do everything we can to not make the challenge more difficult, but our qualms must not stop us from vigorously confronting lies, slander, and the celebration of violence.
If we remember that (knowingly or not) too many people are trying to provoke violence, disorder, and therefore a brutal dictatorship, it might help us to be mindful even in the throes of verbal jousting (which is not always kind or even courteous by many standards).
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
I'm not sure, Joe, that it's "domination of the weak by 'the strong.'"
Yes, Putin has amassed hugely murderous arsenals. And he has turned the entire education system in Russia into unthinking mouthpieces for his murderously nationalistic slogans. (All 700 presidents of Russian institutions of "higher" education signed on -- literally -- to public support of the Russian genocide in Ukraine, its seizure of nearly 20,000 children, its constant missiles, bombs, and drones on schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, and other civilian sites.)
But Putin, Donald (the felon in the White House), and all their autocrat allies in the fascist U.S. and around the world -- all of them lack human strength. All lack humanity. They run in packs, packaged. Yes, lone wolves among them also murder. But none has the decency Timothy noticed by the three words on that shirt.
Real human decency requires abilities to deal with complications. It requires abilities to see the many layers in other people. The appreciation of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Schools led above all by teachers -- not testers and testing.
You’re right, scare quotes need to go around “strong”. These are weak people, empty save for pressurized repressed shame and fear. But they can and do amass the capacity to brutalize the vulnerable.
With all due respect, speech advocating hatred for “the other” and/or speech advocating violence against one’s opposition, are both hate speech. Hate speech cannot ever be considered to be acceptable or accepted under the rubric of “free speech.” Hate speech is a violation of humanity and can, and should, be legislated against. There’s no flowery or intellectualised language or argument that can make either form of hate speech acceptable. Just saying.
We just should try to keep in mind the differences between the rigid coercion of laws and their coercive enforcement versus the more amorphous cultural currents that we all contribute to — and never ever from any pure, purely innocent, purely selfless, or purely non coercive intention. And that means respecting and honoring the way other people err as well as having some degree of cautious indulgence of our own invisible (to us) blind spots and preposterous infringements. The law is a rigid machine that will cut or crush as well as offer support and direction. Culture is an amorphous blob that will smother, reject, or devour as well as comfort, push, or elevate.
Well said Joe - I’d only add to despicable Kirk comments, I’m paraphrasing, was the one in which he said executions should be televised. It would be good for kids to see a death by guillotine.
Further, psychological abuse is far worse than physical abuse - nothing to show that it has the devastation it has. Like broken bones, bruises, black eyes. Horrible scars are just so much easier to see than horribly scarred psyches and destroyed hearts and souls! Just saying.
Again - it’s very easy to discern hate speech. It’s also very easy to say that hate speech, actively advocating for hatred of the “other,” cannot ever be considered in the category of “free speech!” Just saying.
Speech that advocates hatred and speech that activates violence are quite different matters, even if they may sometimes seethe along the same spectrum.
The coercive power of the state (even a “rule-of-law” state) is not the right force for dealing directly with speech that expresses hatred. Truthfully, I think there are times when we should almost “welcome” certain kinds of hate speech. (This relates to how expressive language relates to additional aspects of our conceptual-intentional-emotive processes as individuals and groups in our “imaginary” and our “objective” interactions with others. It also relates to certain truths about life as a “struggle” and the necessity of a “warrior persona.” Finally, it relates to the challenges implicit in the truth that physical violence is not always the most injurious, frightening, or provocative way for humans to betray our most vital interests and our highest values.)
Hate speech can never be legislated away, directly or indirectly, coercively or manipulatively. A rule-of-law state can and should try to address the conditions that tend to lead us to scapegoat others in times of challenge. That, I think, probably involves supporting circumstances that build understanding as well as compassion and empathy. It also involves offering ways to help everyone build the capacity to struggle with the rage, shames, guilts, and fears that surge within and through us.
You’re right, scare quotes need to go around “strong”. These are weak people, empty save for pressurized repressed shame and fear. But they can and do amass the capacity to brutalize the vulnerable.
It’s a big challenge, but we need to be as decent and careful as possible as we emphasize that nobody deserves to be killed for stupid, mendacious, or even vile language while insisting that these are nothing to be admired. Yet, if we can’t do those two things at once while also vigorously advocating for a society, culture, and body politic where everyone is valued for their potential to learn, improve, and do good, then our race will have been run.
If supporting everyone’s right to be wrong, stupid, or even nasty at times is the same as tolerating it, then we must tolerate it. (After all, we are ALL wrong, stupid, and even nasty at times.) But this needs to be the kind of toleration that doesn’t keep us from pushing back, confronting, and demonstrating a commitment that we can all do better. I think this can be done without being sanctimonious, overly self-serious, or unthinkingly condescending. (Being condescended to is definitely a ‘trigger’ or many of us.) Confronting someone does not always feel “kind”, “nice”, or even always courteous (I’m working on it), but, as Charlie Kirk seems to have proposed (however sincerely) harsh language is not the same as physical violence. And nasty or abusive language can be addressed later and used as a basis for reconciliation much more easily than physical violence.
We cannot shrink from the challenge of confrontation while knowing that this struggle must take place mostly on the level of *character* rather than primarily in the context of culture, class, religion, education, factuality, or reason. One of the tricks always involves judging whether an interlocutor is *sincere* about arguments and positions that ay seem outré, ignorant, or maliciously provocative. And sometimes there is sincerity (if only the sincerity of confusion) behind a lot of bluster and abuse. Sometimes it is actually the sincerity of wanting to make a connection…
This is a brilliant essay. And - at a time when I just got in trouble for describing the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk as “divisive” - I’m going to share your essay on Facebook with not additional commentary other than to repeat “Always Be Kind”.
Charlie Kirk was not a kind man. The fact that he is being celebrated in America as having been in the same category as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mystifies me. I don’t know how being divisive has come to be seen as a strength here in America, but I guess I can put that in the category of “Trump‘s legacy” along with all the other problems he is going to leave us with when he’s gone. SMH
If I was a billionaire (or even a millionaire), I would print out "Always Be Kind) on camouflage tee shirts for every ICE agent in the country. And perhaps for everyone in the White House.
Assassinated is not the right word to describe the killing of an unelected provocateur. He was murdered, and that is not what we want to do to those who “only” assault us with words. Killing those who are killing your family, your community, your nation in genocidal attacks on a civilian population can be justified as legitimate acts of war. I think that holds now in Ukraine and Gaza, unfortunately. Violent provocateurs like Hamas, Charlie Kirk, Netanyahu & his cabinet, Putin and his mouthpieces in the US, are responsible both for the killings they do and for their provocation of retaliation and defense from those they attack.
But even in defensive warfare, there is a crucial difference between military targets (which the Ukrainians are hitting) and civilian populations (which Russia and Israel are targeting for bombings and which Hamas attacked initially). Sadly the major lesson the US taught in Vietnam and thereafter was that civilian targets are ok. What we should have learned from WWII was that targeting civilians only builds the resolution and courage of the population being bombed. We didn’t. And we keep repeating the mistake and supporting those who follow the illusion that some level of carnage alone will cause capitulation.
This reflection has taken my breath away. Thank you for a reminder of the deep significance of such a hope, "Always be kind". Such words frame a remembrance of this date 62 years ago...a Sunday in Birmingham, AL when a bomb tore through the 16th Street Baptist Church and took the lives of four young girls. The word "always" matters.
Wonderful piece. We take kindness so much for granted; really, we belittle it as an ideal, as though it was childish. Kindness will not "solve the world." But it is impossible to imagine anything that can without it.
Thank you for your most thoughtful "Always be kind", Professor Snyder. We are experiencing a toxic world, and values are undermined. Your words are a reminder of how children can and should be included in the world that seeks healing.
My father's last words to my son, 15, his only grandson, were "Always be kind."
My dad went away to war in 1941 and didn't come home until 1946. He was an Army Air Corps combat photographer based in North Africa then Foggia, Italy.
He had experienced war; and he also bore witness to it through a camera lens.
Ironically, perhaps beyond ironically, my father was assigned to the first Allied mission allowed by the USSR to operate out of then-Soviet territory, specifically, Poltava, Ukraine.
In addition to his combat photographer duties, my father grew up speaking Polish and was able to help translate between the Soviets and Americans, as the Soviets had a 12 year old Polish conscript who spoke English.
My father frequently spoke of loving the Ukrainians, I suspect due to familiarity, as his mother was born in southeastern Poland. So he might well have understood who they were.
Much later in life, not *that* long ago I took a course called "Lovingkindness". It's a practice related to mindfulness and stress reduction. It changes a person and has the power to change others in the world- well the world.
Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.
Coincidentally, I have been thinking about kindness. Somehow, in our hurry to make ourselves “great” or “the first” we have forgotten about kindness and by extension, politeness. So many of us think that we need to fight for ourselves, hence the meanness we see online, in shops, in public places. I would much rather be remembered as a kind person, not cowardly, but be being considerate of others, listen to others, rather than be a permanent state of “fight, fight, fight,”
“Always be kind” in Kyiv is a child’s resistance against a world that teaches conquest before compassion.
Kindness here isn’t weakness. It’s survival. And parenting in war isn’t just noble, it’s revolutionary.
Thank you!
Kindness anywhere isn't weakness... Kindness everywhere is strength! Anything other than kindness shower fear.
It's humbling and also heartening to know that Ukrainians are keeping their humanity.
As others have commented kindness is strength.
Too many of our fellow persons and fellow citizens are being swept into an elevation of fascism which is the glorification of violence and the domination of the weak by "the strong". Remarkably, the people who do this are not always those who love committing violence, but those who feel vulnerable and who believe (tragically and wrongly) that bullies and fascists will protect *them* if they are enthusiastically subservient to those who threaten terror and brutality.
All these people must be confronted with as much compassion as possible, and NEVER with violence. Force is only justified in response to an immediate and ongoing attack on someone. And even then it must be measured and proportional to the actual (not the imagined) immediate assault.
Too many people are working to make Kirk the Horst Wessel of American fascism.
Here is part of the legacy of Charlie Kirk: his own words.
*******
- “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” AmericaFest, December 2023 (a Turning Point USA event)
- “MLK was awful … He’s not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn’t believe.” AmericaFest, December 2023 (a Turning Point USA event)
- “Death penalties should be public, rapid, and televised.” Wikipedia (French edition), in a panel episode of The Charlie Kirk Show / ThoughtCrime (Feb 2024)
- “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” April 2023, at a Turning Point USA event in Salt Lake City
- “There's not much you can do, folks. You have a government that hates you, you have a traitor as the president. Buy weapons, I keep on saying that. Buy weapons. Buy ammo. if you go into a public place, bring a gun with you and if you live in a state that doesn't allow you to do it, I got nothing for you, man. Thank goodness in Arizona we can carry and we carry.” — October 12, 2023 — The Charlie Kirk Show (Salem Radio Networks)
- “Investigate first, define the crimes later” should be the order of the day. And for even the most minor of offenses, the rule should be: no charity, no goodwill, no mercy.”— How Should Republicans Respond To Fulton County? Indict The Left BY: CHARLIE KIRK ,AUGUST 15, 2023 in “The Federalist
* “Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.” (https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-goes-unhinged-racist-rant-prowling-blacks-go-around-fun-go-target-white) Thanks to Zeteo(https://substack.com/@teamzeteo)
* “They[Black Women]'re coming out, and they're saying, 'I'm only here because of affirmative action.' Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously." (https://x.com/patriottakes/status/1679829904026730496?s=20) Thanks to Zeteo(https://substack.com/@teamzeteo)
* “You[trans people]’re an abomination to God.” (https://x.com/RightWingWatch/status/1701259614077989121) Thanks to Zeteo(https://substack.com/@teamzeteo)
We must document the real Charlie Kirk, not to demonize him but to confront his ugly, stupid, dangerous, and vile ideas.
We must respect that Charlie Kirk was a person capable of grievous error, but even supporting fascism does not justify someone’s murder. It does not even justify them getting “punched”.
We must resist with joy, passion, learning, intelligence, cunning, and as much compassion as we can muster. We must TRY to be nice. But we must resist fascism and also go beyond resistance to advocate for a state and a society that works to guarantee food, shelter, healthcare, education, opportunity, and caring attention for all. (Caring attention sometimes requires confrontation. Not violence.)
Very well said. Thank you. I also appreciate your including direct quotes with their sources -- so important, and not done often enough in our posts. I appreciate your perspective, your emphasis on nonviolent confrontation only, and your having taken considerable time to include all of these quotes.
I would like to continue compiling them.
Kirk probably said that George Floyd was a “scumbag”. I can’t find a verifiable quote that where he said that Floyd deserved killing although he seems to have said that Floyd got too much attention.
Idiots (not a kind word but one with an interesting history) probably feel that they have found their own George Floyd but (knowingly or not) they are trying to create their own Horst Wessel. We must all do what little bit we can to confront this creatively and responsibly. We must all do everything we can to not make the challenge more difficult, but our qualms must not stop us from vigorously confronting lies, slander, and the celebration of violence.
If we remember that (knowingly or not) too many people are trying to provoke violence, disorder, and therefore a brutal dictatorship, it might help us to be mindful even in the throes of verbal jousting (which is not always kind or even courteous by many standards).
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
Given the sickening monetization of Kirk's murder by his wife, I'd say that they already have their martyr/Horst Wessel. It makes things exponentially worse.
I'm not sure, Joe, that it's "domination of the weak by 'the strong.'"
Yes, Putin has amassed hugely murderous arsenals. And he has turned the entire education system in Russia into unthinking mouthpieces for his murderously nationalistic slogans. (All 700 presidents of Russian institutions of "higher" education signed on -- literally -- to public support of the Russian genocide in Ukraine, its seizure of nearly 20,000 children, its constant missiles, bombs, and drones on schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, and other civilian sites.)
But Putin, Donald (the felon in the White House), and all their autocrat allies in the fascist U.S. and around the world -- all of them lack human strength. All lack humanity. They run in packs, packaged. Yes, lone wolves among them also murder. But none has the decency Timothy noticed by the three words on that shirt.
Real human decency requires abilities to deal with complications. It requires abilities to see the many layers in other people. The appreciation of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Schools led above all by teachers -- not testers and testing.
You’re right, scare quotes need to go around “strong”. These are weak people, empty save for pressurized repressed shame and fear. But they can and do amass the capacity to brutalize the vulnerable.
You’re correct Joe! The “strongmen” are really just weak bullies who found a way to bully themselves into some power.
With all due respect, speech advocating hatred for “the other” and/or speech advocating violence against one’s opposition, are both hate speech. Hate speech cannot ever be considered to be acceptable or accepted under the rubric of “free speech.” Hate speech is a violation of humanity and can, and should, be legislated against. There’s no flowery or intellectualised language or argument that can make either form of hate speech acceptable. Just saying.
We just should try to keep in mind the differences between the rigid coercion of laws and their coercive enforcement versus the more amorphous cultural currents that we all contribute to — and never ever from any pure, purely innocent, purely selfless, or purely non coercive intention. And that means respecting and honoring the way other people err as well as having some degree of cautious indulgence of our own invisible (to us) blind spots and preposterous infringements. The law is a rigid machine that will cut or crush as well as offer support and direction. Culture is an amorphous blob that will smother, reject, or devour as well as comfort, push, or elevate.
Well said Joe - I’d only add to despicable Kirk comments, I’m paraphrasing, was the one in which he said executions should be televised. It would be good for kids to see a death by guillotine.
Well analysed and well presented!
Further, psychological abuse is far worse than physical abuse - nothing to show that it has the devastation it has. Like broken bones, bruises, black eyes. Horrible scars are just so much easier to see than horribly scarred psyches and destroyed hearts and souls! Just saying.
Again - it’s very easy to discern hate speech. It’s also very easy to say that hate speech, actively advocating for hatred of the “other,” cannot ever be considered in the category of “free speech!” Just saying.
Speech that advocates hatred and speech that activates violence are quite different matters, even if they may sometimes seethe along the same spectrum.
The coercive power of the state (even a “rule-of-law” state) is not the right force for dealing directly with speech that expresses hatred. Truthfully, I think there are times when we should almost “welcome” certain kinds of hate speech. (This relates to how expressive language relates to additional aspects of our conceptual-intentional-emotive processes as individuals and groups in our “imaginary” and our “objective” interactions with others. It also relates to certain truths about life as a “struggle” and the necessity of a “warrior persona.” Finally, it relates to the challenges implicit in the truth that physical violence is not always the most injurious, frightening, or provocative way for humans to betray our most vital interests and our highest values.)
Hate speech can never be legislated away, directly or indirectly, coercively or manipulatively. A rule-of-law state can and should try to address the conditions that tend to lead us to scapegoat others in times of challenge. That, I think, probably involves supporting circumstances that build understanding as well as compassion and empathy. It also involves offering ways to help everyone build the capacity to struggle with the rage, shames, guilts, and fears that surge within and through us.
You’re right, scare quotes need to go around “strong”. These are weak people, empty save for pressurized repressed shame and fear. But they can and do amass the capacity to brutalize the vulnerable.
It’s a big challenge, but we need to be as decent and careful as possible as we emphasize that nobody deserves to be killed for stupid, mendacious, or even vile language while insisting that these are nothing to be admired. Yet, if we can’t do those two things at once while also vigorously advocating for a society, culture, and body politic where everyone is valued for their potential to learn, improve, and do good, then our race will have been run.
If supporting everyone’s right to be wrong, stupid, or even nasty at times is the same as tolerating it, then we must tolerate it. (After all, we are ALL wrong, stupid, and even nasty at times.) But this needs to be the kind of toleration that doesn’t keep us from pushing back, confronting, and demonstrating a commitment that we can all do better. I think this can be done without being sanctimonious, overly self-serious, or unthinkingly condescending. (Being condescended to is definitely a ‘trigger’ or many of us.) Confronting someone does not always feel “kind”, “nice”, or even always courteous (I’m working on it), but, as Charlie Kirk seems to have proposed (however sincerely) harsh language is not the same as physical violence. And nasty or abusive language can be addressed later and used as a basis for reconciliation much more easily than physical violence.
We cannot shrink from the challenge of confrontation while knowing that this struggle must take place mostly on the level of *character* rather than primarily in the context of culture, class, religion, education, factuality, or reason. One of the tricks always involves judging whether an interlocutor is *sincere* about arguments and positions that ay seem outré, ignorant, or maliciously provocative. And sometimes there is sincerity (if only the sincerity of confusion) behind a lot of bluster and abuse. Sometimes it is actually the sincerity of wanting to make a connection…
This is a brilliant essay. And - at a time when I just got in trouble for describing the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk as “divisive” - I’m going to share your essay on Facebook with not additional commentary other than to repeat “Always Be Kind”.
Charlie Kirk was not a kind man. The fact that he is being celebrated in America as having been in the same category as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mystifies me. I don’t know how being divisive has come to be seen as a strength here in America, but I guess I can put that in the category of “Trump‘s legacy” along with all the other problems he is going to leave us with when he’s gone. SMH
If I was a billionaire (or even a millionaire), I would print out "Always Be Kind) on camouflage tee shirts for every ICE agent in the country. And perhaps for everyone in the White House.
Assassinated is not the right word to describe the killing of an unelected provocateur. He was murdered, and that is not what we want to do to those who “only” assault us with words. Killing those who are killing your family, your community, your nation in genocidal attacks on a civilian population can be justified as legitimate acts of war. I think that holds now in Ukraine and Gaza, unfortunately. Violent provocateurs like Hamas, Charlie Kirk, Netanyahu & his cabinet, Putin and his mouthpieces in the US, are responsible both for the killings they do and for their provocation of retaliation and defense from those they attack.
But even in defensive warfare, there is a crucial difference between military targets (which the Ukrainians are hitting) and civilian populations (which Russia and Israel are targeting for bombings and which Hamas attacked initially). Sadly the major lesson the US taught in Vietnam and thereafter was that civilian targets are ok. What we should have learned from WWII was that targeting civilians only builds the resolution and courage of the population being bombed. We didn’t. And we keep repeating the mistake and supporting those who follow the illusion that some level of carnage alone will cause capitulation.
I think "assassinated" is correct. He was a public figure. He wasn't killed on account of something in his personal life.
This reflection has taken my breath away. Thank you for a reminder of the deep significance of such a hope, "Always be kind". Such words frame a remembrance of this date 62 years ago...a Sunday in Birmingham, AL when a bomb tore through the 16th Street Baptist Church and took the lives of four young girls. The word "always" matters.
If you live by those words that alone will get you into heaven. You need nothing else because with those words come other actions of goodness.
Wonderful piece. We take kindness so much for granted; really, we belittle it as an ideal, as though it was childish. Kindness will not "solve the world." But it is impossible to imagine anything that can without it.
Thank you.
Thank you for your most thoughtful "Always be kind", Professor Snyder. We are experiencing a toxic world, and values are undermined. Your words are a reminder of how children can and should be included in the world that seeks healing.
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
-Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
My father's last words to my son, 15, his only grandson, were "Always be kind."
My dad went away to war in 1941 and didn't come home until 1946. He was an Army Air Corps combat photographer based in North Africa then Foggia, Italy.
He had experienced war; and he also bore witness to it through a camera lens.
Ironically, perhaps beyond ironically, my father was assigned to the first Allied mission allowed by the USSR to operate out of then-Soviet territory, specifically, Poltava, Ukraine.
In addition to his combat photographer duties, my father grew up speaking Polish and was able to help translate between the Soviets and Americans, as the Soviets had a 12 year old Polish conscript who spoke English.
My father frequently spoke of loving the Ukrainians, I suspect due to familiarity, as his mother was born in southeastern Poland. So he might well have understood who they were.
Always Be Kind.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” — Dalai Lama
Thank you.. this is hard.
Two thoughts..
My mother always told me "you be different".
Much later in life, not *that* long ago I took a course called "Lovingkindness". It's a practice related to mindfulness and stress reduction. It changes a person and has the power to change others in the world- well the world.
Kurt Vonnegut from God Bless You Mr. Rosewater:
Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.
Coincidentally, I have been thinking about kindness. Somehow, in our hurry to make ourselves “great” or “the first” we have forgotten about kindness and by extension, politeness. So many of us think that we need to fight for ourselves, hence the meanness we see online, in shops, in public places. I would much rather be remembered as a kind person, not cowardly, but be being considerate of others, listen to others, rather than be a permanent state of “fight, fight, fight,”
kindness is a strength, a major power.
Dear God, bless you and your work, our work, the world's moral work.
Very moving and upsetting and inspiring… all at the same time.