Breaking barriers, building bridges

Amid the gloom that recently engulfed us, a light shone brightly in the form of a young man who attempted to protect the people in his care. Although he himself was not in peril, he hoped to mitigate the carnage that was unfolding around him. Some might call him foolish for challenging ruthless killers, but that was the choice he made. The heroic individual neither fled the scene nor remained a safe and passive onlooker; instead, he took a tremendous risk. His noble intervention on behalf of those he hardly knew cost him his life.

I am reminded of an incident that occurred in the US, eight years ago. An American tried to overpower a person, who shot and wounded two Indian engineers. When 24-year-old Ian Grillot confronted the assailant, he was gravely injured. He was hit in his hand and neck (near the carotid artery) as well as his chest.

 “Get out of my country,” the gunman yelled angrily, as he fired. He was evidently full of hate for those whom he viewed as outsiders. Ian, on the contrary, saw the Indians as fellow human beings. When hailed as a hero, he said simply, “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t do anything.”

We tend to distance ourselves from disagreeable, let alone dangerous, situations unless we ourselves, or those dear to us, are adversely affected.

The Bible, however, endorses active involvement when it is within our ability to help anyone, even total strangers. “Love your neighbour,” said Jesus. Promptly came the query: “Who is my neighbour?”

Jesus responded by relating the story of a traveller, who was attacked by robbers and left to perish. Ignored by passers-by of his own race, the victim was cared for compassionately and competently by a Samaritan. The Jews scorned the Samaritans because they believed that the religious practices of the latter were flawed.

The Samaritans lived between Galilee, in the north of Israel, and Judea in the south. While journeying between those locations, Jews would often take roundabout routes to avoid passing Samaria. Moving beyond boundaries, Jesus freely entered the region and befriended the community.

Let us break barriers, and as the late Pope Francis advised, “build bridges, where others build walls.”