James Coleman
Choice
“Nothing in this world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. Dr. Martin Luther King was addressing the rationalization of slavery, and mistreatment of African Americans by the white community when he spoke these words. While in context they were about the Civil Rights Movement, his words are applicable to every terrible event throughout history. In each case, ignorance is dangerous and the bystanders of scenes such as the Holocaust and the ongoing war against racism portrayed in The Gift of Our Wounds, have a choice, they can either follow the perpetrators or choose to stand up against hate.
The Holocaust, one of the most horrific events in history, is generally believed to have been the fault of one man, Adolf Hitler. We give him credit for ruining the lives of millions of people, and rightly so because he was the mastermind behind the entire plan. But, what if the bystanders were just as much at fault? While Hitler was in charge, he had many soldiers who could have stepped up and stood against him. These men had the choice to follow orders or adhere to their morals, and many chose to follow the orders, whether or not they agreed with them. They learned to treat the Jewish people as less than human, and thereby became less than human themselves. Something in them had to break in order for them to be able to treat other humans in such a terrible way. While saying that they should have stepped up, the notion of peer pressure is also very real. It is terrifying to go against what everyone else is doing, and following the crowd is the easier. This is why many did not object to the treatment of the millions of people who were tortured and killed during the Holocaust. But this lack of action, makes them just as much at fault as Hitler himself. As Arno Michaelis said in The Gift of Our Wounds, “See something, say something”(192). Each person has a choice to stand up for what they believe in and make a difference.
The Gift of Our Wounds deals with the racial and religious persecution that still occurs daily in the United States. Arno Michaelis is a former skinhead who, after years of committing crimes in the name of white power, decided to leave that life behind. Pardeep Singh Kaleka is a Sikh, immigrated from India in 2012, whose father was killed in the shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Wade Michael Page, a member of the same group that Michaelis once helped create, walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and murdered six people, one of them Kaleka’s father. This act of hate left friends, family members, and Michaelis speechless. They questioned why this had ever happened to them and how they could learn to forgive. Through the tragedy, Michaelis and Kaleka formed an unlikely friendship and then formed “Serve 2 Unite”, an organization that works with students to establish positive environments in their schools and community. They advocate for taking a stand against hate and never being a bystander. Through the novel, they remind their readers that each person has a choice and while it takes courage to stand up, everyone is capable of doing so. By spreading love and empathy, people have the opportunity to prevent possible future large scale events such as the Holocaust, but also can stop smaller scale (but no less terrible) ones like the shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
“[...]Love is the antidote to the fear and loneliness that seeds hate”(213) and if people can learn to be empathetic with each other and begin to “see [themselves] in the other [...]”(210), they will realize that there are many more similarities than one might think. They are capable of kindness and forgiveness no matter their situation and Michaelis and Kaleka are proof of that. They overcame great odds to start “Serve 2 Unite” and become friends, and they now travel the country speaking against hate of any kind and reminding people to be courageous and stand up for what they believe is right. They have a choice, and their choice can either change a situation for the better, or leave them as bystanders, just as guilty as the perpetrators. “Nothing is this world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”.
The Holocaust, one of the most horrific events in history, is generally believed to have been the fault of one man, Adolf Hitler. We give him credit for ruining the lives of millions of people, and rightly so because he was the mastermind behind the entire plan. But, what if the bystanders were just as much at fault? While Hitler was in charge, he had many soldiers who could have stepped up and stood against him. These men had the choice to follow orders or adhere to their morals, and many chose to follow the orders, whether or not they agreed with them. They learned to treat the Jewish people as less than human, and thereby became less than human themselves. Something in them had to break in order for them to be able to treat other humans in such a terrible way. While saying that they should have stepped up, the notion of peer pressure is also very real. It is terrifying to go against what everyone else is doing, and following the crowd is the easier. This is why many did not object to the treatment of the millions of people who were tortured and killed during the Holocaust. But this lack of action, makes them just as much at fault as Hitler himself. As Arno Michaelis said in The Gift of Our Wounds, “See something, say something”(192). Each person has a choice to stand up for what they believe in and make a difference.
The Gift of Our Wounds deals with the racial and religious persecution that still occurs daily in the United States. Arno Michaelis is a former skinhead who, after years of committing crimes in the name of white power, decided to leave that life behind. Pardeep Singh Kaleka is a Sikh, immigrated from India in 2012, whose father was killed in the shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Wade Michael Page, a member of the same group that Michaelis once helped create, walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and murdered six people, one of them Kaleka’s father. This act of hate left friends, family members, and Michaelis speechless. They questioned why this had ever happened to them and how they could learn to forgive. Through the tragedy, Michaelis and Kaleka formed an unlikely friendship and then formed “Serve 2 Unite”, an organization that works with students to establish positive environments in their schools and community. They advocate for taking a stand against hate and never being a bystander. Through the novel, they remind their readers that each person has a choice and while it takes courage to stand up, everyone is capable of doing so. By spreading love and empathy, people have the opportunity to prevent possible future large scale events such as the Holocaust, but also can stop smaller scale (but no less terrible) ones like the shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
“[...]Love is the antidote to the fear and loneliness that seeds hate”(213) and if people can learn to be empathetic with each other and begin to “see [themselves] in the other [...]”(210), they will realize that there are many more similarities than one might think. They are capable of kindness and forgiveness no matter their situation and Michaelis and Kaleka are proof of that. They overcame great odds to start “Serve 2 Unite” and become friends, and they now travel the country speaking against hate of any kind and reminding people to be courageous and stand up for what they believe is right. They have a choice, and their choice can either change a situation for the better, or leave them as bystanders, just as guilty as the perpetrators. “Nothing is this world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”.