I cried watching war footage. It was so touching when people choose life.
This morning I watched this video on Reddit.
It shows Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukraine forces. I was surprised when I started to tear up watching this footage. Why was I feeling this way? I was feeling proud of the soldiers for risking their lives to defect, and for choosing peace and life and not killing their fellow man.
It is not my place to start a debate about war, or about the “righteous” wars that happened. My point here is simply to say that the easiest thing is to do what you are told, or what everyone else is doing, but it takes true courage and bravery to have that conversation with your teammates and to find a way to slip away and surrender to the enemy. Others may see them as cowards, but not making a mistake in killing is wisdom to me. Besides savings others’ lives, they may have just saved their own. Certainly, the punishment of 10 years in prison that Russia is threatening its soldiers with is a better fate than death.
There is so much pain and suffering in the world, and these men took a small step to reduce that suffering. I have the biggest respect for anyone who does what is loving and helpful, and not what is easy or advantageous. It is strange, isn’t it? So many people get ahead by being corrupt in the world, yet we don’t view them with respect when they are dead. Rather we suffer the worse world that they contributed to. If your legacy is hatred and death, it is better that you were never born and history will remember that.
However, even if history doesn’t remember the truth, we experience it and while I don’t believe in Karma life does have a way of balancing things out. I wonder what the future holds for those who cause suffering to others.