Cruelty or Compassion
The Culture We Create
Over the past week, I watched both the 2025 movie Nuremberg and the older 1961 movie Judgment at Nuremberg, each depicting the trial of various Nazi officials and judges before the International Military Tribunal. Both movies did a good job of presenting the complexity of that effort, asking the nuanced question of who was aware of and responsible for the actions of that regime. At one point in the trial, both films showed actual footage of the worst of the atrocities committed in the name of patriotism and nationalism. That footage was very difficult to watch. Chilling. Horrifying.
It made me wonder, and the films wondered this too, what conditions led to that widespread capacity for such cruelty and disregard for human life and dignity. How did the people who directly committed those crimes against humanity get to be okay with that? How did those who were more indirectly involved square their moral decency with what they condoned and enabled? And how did so many citizens navigate that awful dilemma of saving themselves by turning away from their neighbors in distress?
My heart is heavy with these questions that are less and less academic with every passing day in this country. I am not equating our current conditions to those that prevailed in Nazi Germany; however, I am watching our state-sanctioned violence and callousness toward human rights and dignity – in our country and abroad - with great distress. Over this year, we’ve witnessed military presence in our major cities, careless disregard for established health standards for public safety, rightful citizens being swept up in mass deportations, flagrant indifference, if not outright cruelty, for the millions of people who are losing health care coverage. And now we have ICE agents killing an innocent woman while our leaders lie outright about what happened, and think we won’t notice. Or care.
The killing of Renee Good feels to me like a George Floyd moment. Although not about racism, this is still about the use of excessive force by an armed official against someone they have decided is expendable. Once again, unnecessary and extreme to the point where it becomes murder.
When we start taking away rights, when the courts enable injustice, when lies become the norm, when the admiration of might is legitimized, when murder becomes so commonplace that we become numb to it (I can’t even get started on gun violence), when meanness is the way of the land – we are headed for deep trouble. We are already in deep trouble.
It is breaking my heart.
How far does this go before things shift for the better, and what does that require? It could start with the midterms, wrestling some sense back into Congress; the voices of resistance growing louder and louder, so this meanness and injustice are less tolerated; the Courts push back in a meaningful way; and we, the people, don’t tolerate the meanness.
But I do know one thing: we must not let fear govern our hearts. Fear is what fuels the culture of meanness, and it is not the way toward justice.
We all have a part to play in how we push back, based on our skills, circumstances, and roles. I try to cultivate a culture of respect, love, and dignity for all beings through my actions, words, and teaching. I believe we must foster the value of goodwill toward others, and stand with those who are vulnerable with compassion, solidarity, and nonviolent strength. We can meet this culture of meanness with the culture of love, peace, and generosity of spirit. It may sound like not enough, but, in fact, it’s essential.
The good news is that we do see evidence of respect, goodwill, and kindness around us.
The public sentiment is on the side of Renee Nicole Good, immigrants, and peaceful protesters in the streets, and protests and vigils are taking place nationwide.
Organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, UNICEF, and global NGOs exist to coordinate relief efforts, delivering shelter, meals, emergency supplies, emotional support, and financial assistance in the aftermath of disasters (storms, fires, floods), and they continually respond to such emergencies.
In response to the 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack, the government of New South Wales launched a kindness campaign encouraging people of all faiths and backgrounds to perform one mitzvah — a charitable act — in honor of the victims and to spread unity and compassion across communities.
Grassroots mutual aid efforts continue to grow — neighbors and volunteers organizing to share resources, shelter, food, and safety information during and after emergencies. We saw this on 9/11, after the LA fires, after every school shooting, really, when there is any disaster or tragedy, people are there for each other. It is a natural human response to want to help someone who is suffering, and we do respond.
I have always believed in the inherent goodness in all of us, and I believe in it today. I agree with MLK’s assertion that ‘the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice’. I resonate with the words of the Buddha 2600 years ago that ‘hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law.’ I aspire to Jesus’ teaching to ‘love one’s neighbor as oneself’.
I believe in the ultimate power of love over hate. Now is the time to summon it and embody it, so this culture of meanness ends, and a culture of justice and goodwill prevails. The more our leadership fails to demonstrate and promote human kindness and respect, the more we, as individuals, must. All the humanitarian efforts mentioned above are made up of people – of us – so both individually and together, we have the capability to create and nurture a culture of kindness and respect for the dignity of every human being.
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