Sometimes, things go right. Even in the midst of the wrong.
All throughout history, we’ve suffered turmoil and hardships. But then? There are occasional moments of humanity that shine through the darkness of conflict.
Such is the story of the 1916 Uprising in Ireland, where amidst the chaos of battle, the fighters on both sides of the line paused daily for an act of compassion towards a humble groundskeeper and his ducks.
One particular case of this occurred on April 24, 1916. Easter Sunday had just passed. Irish revolutionaries took up arms against British rule. They were seeking freedom for their homeland. As such, Dublin became the battleground, and the streets were filled with the sounds of gunfire and rebellion. Amidst this bad fighting, St. Stephen’s Green, a normally serene city park, became an unexpected theater of war.
Despite being captured by the Irish Citizen Army, St. Stephen’s Green found itself surrounded by British forces. The fighting was intense, with both sides locked in a deadly standoff.
But then the good thing happened. Amidst the tension and hostility, an extraordinary agreement emerged. These fighting humans agreed on a daily ceasefire. It was not to negotiate peace or exchange prisoners. It happened for a different reason.
So here it was. The park’s devoted keeper, a guy named James Kearney, found himself in a unique predicament. He loved his ducks. His ducks, there at the park. And no matter the dangers of the war around him, James remained steadfast in his commitment to care for those ducks.
Every day, without fail, Kearney would venture into the park to feed his feathered friends. Remarkably, both the Irish and British forces respected this daily ritual. They halted their hostilities to allow Kearney safe passage.
His was a simple act of kindness towards nature. And these fighting men acted in kindness, too.
This speaks volumes about the resilience of the human spirit.
Sometimes, people are kind. Sometimes, they show empathy. Sometimes they are good-hearted.
This little story of a man caring for ducks makes me happy. I wish we could see this all the time. In conflicts all over the world.
But truly, I wish for lasting peace.
“”””””””””””
“Peace begins with a smile.” – Mother Teresa
“”””””””””””
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“”””””””””””
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict.” – Dorothy Thompson
“”””””””””””
When I say “duck” I mean duck.
