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Another famous example of how in the darkest hours there's longing for peace and friendship is the Christmas Truce during the first world war [1]. British sold

Another famous example of how in the darkest hours there's longing for peace and friendship is the Christmas Truce during the first world war [1]. British soldiers heard German troops in the trenches singing carols and patriotic songs. They started shouting messages to each other. The next day, soldiers from both sides met, exchanged gifts, took photographs and played football. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

g3e0 6y ago
For the benefit of anyone not in the UK, there is a marvelous Christmas advert inspired by this event, which aired in 2014 (100 years later): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM
Stratoscope 6y ago
> They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high. From We CAN Change the World via http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/60/048.html http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/60/048.html: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK > Across the line, still brandishing his binoculars, Old Horseflesh [a hard-liner] shoves a rifle into Green's hands. "Take a steady aim," he commands. Dodger aims well above Coburg's head, and the lieutenant dives into a handy shell hole. Catching on, the German machine gunners let loose a burst well above the opposite trenches. From Silent Night: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK
oconnor663 6y ago
The article also reminded me of a story from the aftermath of the My Lai massacre: > In 1998, Thompson and Colburn returned to the village of Sơn Mỹ, where they met some of the people they saved during the killings, including Thi Nhung and Pham Thi Nhanh, two women who had been part of the group about to be killed by Brooks's 2nd Platoon. Thompson said to the survivors, "I just wish our crew that day could have helped more people than we did." He reported that one of the women they had helped out came up to him and asked, "Why didn't the people who committed these acts come back with you?" He said that he was "just devastated" but that she finished her sentence: "So we could forgive them." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.
u678u 6y ago
And the next day started shooting at each other again. Humans are truly weird.
- 7952 6y ago
  Unofficial live and let live systems carried on... https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2014/chiu-war https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2014/chiu-war Unwillingness to die is really common in war

g3e0 6y ago

For the benefit of anyone not in the UK, there is a marvelous Christmas advert inspired by this event, which aired in 2014 (100 years later): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM

Stratoscope 6y ago

> They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high. From We CAN Change the World via http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/60/048.html http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/60/048.html: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK > Across the line, still brandishing his binoculars, Old Horseflesh [a hard-liner] shoves a rifle into Green's hands. "Take a steady aim," he commands. Dodger aims well above Coburg's head, and the lieutenant dives into a handy shell hole. Catching on, the German machine gunners let loose a burst well above the opposite trenches. From Silent Night: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00311JUGK

oconnor663 6y ago

The article also reminded me of a story from the aftermath of the My Lai massacre: > In 1998, Thompson and Colburn returned to the village of Sơn Mỹ, where they met some of the people they saved during the killings, including Thi Nhung and Pham Thi Nhanh, two women who had been part of the group about to be killed by Brooks's 2nd Platoon. Thompson said to the survivors, "I just wish our crew that day could have helped more people than we did." He reported that one of the women they had helped out came up to him and asked, "Why didn't the people who committed these acts come back with you?" He said that he was "just devastated" but that she finished her sentence: "So we could forgive them." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.

u678u 6y ago

And the next day started shooting at each other again. Humans are truly weird.

7952 6y ago
Unofficial live and let live systems carried on... https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2014/chiu-war https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2014/chiu-war Unwillingness to die is really common in war