Article January 8, 2018 Issue

Taking the side to end war—divine Love’s side

Judith Cole

I sat across from two of my favorite teachers, and I was certain they had chosen the wrong side—against me! I was being called out for refusing to go along with their viewpoint. And unless I changed mine, they would not allow me to go on an upcoming school-sponsored camping trip.

This happened years ago, following an incident when a group of several girls unprovoked—apparently solely motivated by vulgar, race-based hatred and encouraged by bystanders—had pushed and grabbed me and three other girls while we were on a stairway landing at the middle school I attended. As this transpired, I was able to break free from my attackers and put myself in front of two of the other intended victims in my attempt to protect them. The attackers then focused on me. They grabbed my legs and lifted me, as if to throw me over the stair railing, but they were stopped by teachers who came to intervene.

Surely I was on the right side! Hadn’t I protected the innocent? And the girls who didn’t get to execute their plan were protected from committing a dastardly act! I asked the teachers, “Why am I being singled out for doing the right thing?”

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