A Conspiracy to Love

“Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them”

 

During this time of change and conflict those words spoken by Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche come to mind. As we hear the President-Elect, the most high-profile spokesperson in our society, describe his plans for vengeance and retribution, labeling journalists, congress people, and government investigators as his enemies, it gives me comfort to think about generosity, good-will, and the sacrifices people like Taliesin, Rick Best, and Micah Fletcher made on a Portland commuter train in 2017.

Unknown to each other, they came to the rescue of two Muslim women on the train who were being attacked by a knife wielding racist. The attacker stabbed all three men before being subdued. Taliesin and Rick both died. Taliesin’s last words, expressing love for the strangers on that train, still move me.

The passengers were not strangers to Taliesin or Rick or Micah. They were neighbors that needed help. And those three men put their bodies and their lives on the line to voluntarily provide it.

There are many stories of people who risk or sacrifice out of love or kindness, or a sense of duty.  I think of three heroes at My Lai, in Vietnam, the site of the American massacre of Vietnamese civilians in 1968. When this helicopter crew of Hugh Thompson, Larry Colburn, and Glenn Andreotta came upon 70 to 80 dead unarmed civilians in an irrigation ditch and another 15 to 20 murdered in a small temple, they thought they were victims of the Viet Cong. It wasn’t until they spotted a group of women, children, and old men in the northeast corner of the village fleeing American soldiers pursuing them, that the crew realized it was Americans who were doing the massacring. The pilot, Thompson, landed their helicopter between the advancing soldiers and the unarmed villagers and Coburn and Andreotta focused their guns on the attackers. Thompson then located as many survivors as he could and led them to an evacuation point to be picked up by two large Huey helicopters piloted by friends he had contacted.

These three men and the Huey pilots saved dozens of villagers they didn’t know from the certain death their American brothers would have delivered. These were surely profound acts of kindness and courage.

There were scores of acts of kindness and courage in the twin towers on 9/11. Most of them were by brave public safety workers who rushed in to rescue people. There were also many other heroes, such as Benjamin Clark, a chef on the 96th floor, who made sure that everyone on his floor got out, saving hundreds while sacrificing his own life. 

Certainly, not all acts of kindness require unusual courage. Most are simple things: holding the door open for that person just behind you, slowing down to allow that car to move into your lane, offering to help someone with their packages, inviting the person with one or two items in the grocery line to go ahead of you. There are so many ways, so many opportunities. And there are so many payoffs. 

According to researchers, being kind can give us a “helper’s high”.  Our endorphins are released as we perform a kind act. For most of us there is a brief rush of euphoria, followed by a sense of calm. As described by the Niagara Wellness Council, there are many other personal benefits creating an increased sense of self-worth. 

G. Donald Gale tells us: “A pessimist, they say sees a glass of water as half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. A giving person sees the glass and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.” Perhaps it’s simple: We feel better when we help others feel better.

~River