Longfellow Had it Right

by Eric Muhr

I stumbled across these words awhile ago:

“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we would find, in each person’s life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”

And I wonder if Longfellow had it right. Do we dare to tell our stories? Can we be a people, who listen to a neighbor’s tale of fear, hardship and spiritual poverty?

Such a work requires foolish courage. Foolishness, because we must drop our weapons in order to listen. Courage, because it is easier for enemies to exploit than to trust.

But we must trust. We must be defenseless. For this is the path of innocence. And every other route results in destruction.