Fire with Fire

 My apologies for the disappearance, folks. While I wish I could say it was because I've been out and about, having a grand ol' time on this auspicious and truly liberating time of the year.....truth be told, I just got bored, tired and monumentally cranky. So, for those who've been waiting anxiously for this recent installment, while I do regret the delay, I seriously urge you all to get a new hobby.

 So, now that I got that out of the way.........those of you who know me know that I got stories. Seriously, I've got some of the craziest, most insane stories you will ever hear. And truth be told, as fantastic as these stories may be, I literally have no way of proving they actually happened. I can only tell you that this shit is just too crazy, too weird and too stupid to make up. 

 I am about to tell you such a story. However, this happened to someone else, someone near and very dear to me and who has given me their permission to tell this tale (for any lawyer/leeche out there who suddenly got an inspiration), so if it may please you all, I would like to share this story.

 Background.....let us begin with my friend. She's a wonderful young lady who lives in a Scandinavian country. From here on out, she will be referred to as person A. Anyways, she has experience her own fair share of culture clash, especially since she originally comes from a country that is totally different than the one she's living in now. But, one thing I've come to admire about her is that, even though she tries to be like the folks around her, she is still the same person she's always been. I mean, her core beliefs have not changed. 

 Now, let me introduce you to person B. While I never met this particular individual personally, I have met his type. He is a native of the aforementioned Scandinavian country. For lack of a better term, this man is a bigot, a term he held in high regard at one time. He simply did not like black people or anyone who was neither white nor a ethnic native of his country. To this effect, he hung out with others who shared his beliefs and even bragged about certain incidents involving violence against a person of another race/color (I would like to point out that this is not a character attack nor am I spreading any malicious rumors about someone.....I am simply repeating something I had heard in order to provide context to my story......once again, this is for the leeches/lawyers).

 One evening, person A (my friend) was walking home when she came across a person lying in the street, bruised, bleeding and crying. Upon further inspection, she discovered it was person B (the other guy). He had been assaulted. Person A was torn between leaving this person alone & getting home safely or offering to help him, at her own risk. Eventually, thinking nothing of herself, she helped him up and brought him back to her place, where she gave his wounds some moderate medical attention (or as much as could be given with a store-bought First-Aid kit). When she had finished, she offered him a towel and allowed him to clean himself up and if that wasn't enough, she allowed him to spend the night on her sofa (while she crashed at a friends house because hey, she's a saint, not suicidal).

 Let's pause this story for just a minute. If any of you are like me, you're probably wondering why in the blue hell my friend would actually go out of her way to help someone who pretty much resents her very existence? Lord knows why, but the story's not over.

 So, my friend returned to her apartment the next day, having carefully considered what had happened and what she should do, while at the same time wondering what in the blue hell she was thinking. And of course, the most unexpected things happened. Person B was wide awake and waiting for her. First, he thanked her for her generosity and grace. Of course, being rather anxious about what happened, she asked him what happened, expecting to hear that he had been the victim of an assault by those he had repeatedly persecuted. Instead, he tells her that his brethren, his fellow bigots, were the ones who had assaulted him. In addition, they took all his money and a great deal of his dignity. Regardless, he thanked her repeatedly and left a changed man.

 Yes, it's true. A bigot got jumped by bigots. And what's worse is it wasn't over principle or a misunderstanding, but simple theft. But, the nature of the prejudiced is not the moral of this story.

 My friend ended the story with her telling me that not only has he renounced his beliefs in his own superiority, but since then, he has made every effort to atone for it, to make up for the abuse he gave to others who were different. The irony here is that this complete change is not the result of a monumental ass-whooping, but of a random act of kindness. 

 I guess the moral of this story is, you have to fight fire with fire, force with force, tit-for-tat. But, you can't fight hate with hate. You can only fight it with love. I know this probably sounds gay, but considering the success seen in this isolated event, who is to say that there isn't some truth to that? 

 My friend did something incredible. She changed the mind of someone who had thought very little of her. And she did so with respect and courtesy. If that's not a miracle, then I challenge anyone to tell me what is. 

 I suppose a quote would be the best way to end this. And I can't think of one more fitting than this......