I don't like watching true crime shows.
I really despise them actually. Don't get me wrong, I do think its good to have them produced in order to keep society aware of whats going on, to further build the community so that we can all work together against a common enemy: evil. To me, it just, well, it reminds me that everyone has a dark side to them, no matter who they are. That there is so much incurable hatred and despair plaguing our land and our very hearts. I'm sure I am not the only one who has the same mindset like this. This is a place in the world that I really want to forget whenever I am up onstage being a character in a musical, or behind the camera. However, being all negative and scared about it isn't really going to save anyone. Instead, I want you all to look to hope, as I tell today's story, so that you may take what you learn today to heart and practice it. I actually owe today's story to an individual I saw on the television after an episode of America Under Fire that happened in 2012 at Oak Creek, Wisconsin at the Sikh Temple. I owe today's lesson to Arno Michaelis.
Sunday is known as a day of reconciliation, not just for believers but for all of humanity. A day to unwind, a day to start over. I love going to church every Sunday, not just because of the powerful sermons and the ability to freely express your problems and being forgiven for them; to heal; to love; to save yourself. Its great going to church. For me, there are two major reasons. One is for being able to be a part of something great, being able to renew myself every week and look forward to the next with even greater success. The other is because I am a member of the choir. Those people are like my second family, and they are probably reading this now, which brings me even more joy to say so.
After church, me and my dad drove home to just sit down and relax. I had some major homework to do for my online classes, so I was pretty busy for most of the day. Also, coming up with ideas for this blog-post can be strenuous but its worth it. Its how I am able to write almost every day. Thus, I mostly shut myself in my room, only to go out whenever I was hungry. Craving the munchies has a lot of control over you. I was also feeling a little ecstatic at the time, because I got my wisdom teeth removed on Monday and I could eat crackers again. Almost brought a tear to me eye. Because of this, I went to the pantry and grabbed a box of cheese crackers, when I heard my dad telling me to come over to the television. He was watching America Under Fire, which was this documentary dictating about all the shootings that happened throughout the United States. It was a mix of real-life footage compacted with tons of interviews from the people that survived and witnessed the disasters that befell them. I knew this show wasn't to just set fear in peoples minds so I didn't hate it but, I have read plenty of articles to understand that plainly, this world isn't that great of a place. It's horrible, not just in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, but all around the world. That's why we need to do something about it. Because of this, my dad told me to stay to watch the show because it was important. I refused and went back up into my room. Then, I started thinking about the few clips I saw before I fled upstairs. That's when I started to feel the gloom and depression setting in. Just thinking about it makes my positive mind go awry. As I was contemplating this, a few moments later, my dad told me to immediately come downstairs to watch this part of the show. I thought he was going to force me to watch the whole thing. Instead he showed me this little clip at least 20 seconds until the episode ended. There was a man there whose name was Arno Michaelis, and to put it bluntly, he was one of the ringleaders of Hammerskin Nation. A person that was filled with rage and hate to just kill because he believed in white supremacy. I of course knew about this group and white supremacists, due to my history class and frequent news articles, but I honestly knew so little about this during my time in a foreign country so just hearing about this was enough to shock me. Made me think "God, what am I missing?" In the video, its showed Arno looking very troubled, saying that he couldn't believe what he did, and thought that he couldn't be forgiven for his heinous crimes. What he started was a society hell bent on massacring people just for their skin color. Apparently, it took Arno 7 years to leave the cultist group, but it wasn't the same story for others. He said that if "he didn't leave when he did, he would be the one on the floor at the temple." He truly regrets what he has done. If you look him up on Google, you will see that he was reformed and started the Forgiveness Project. Honestly, I commend what he has done to help make a positive impact on the world and know that its taken a long time for him to be forgiven, some might still not forgive him, but I doubt it. Why?
Here is why I owe today's words of wisdom to him. During that 20 second clip, he spoke the words: "Be kind to others even if they hate you, because that one small step could save them from darkness." Those words were like music to my ears. I agree, most documentaries of this degree have some form of reconciliation, but the fact of the matter is, those people, despite being the incarnation of evil once, believed in hope and the good of humanity. What made it even more heart wrenching was that one of the people whose wife was involved in the shooting, the husband became Arno's best friend and confidante. Even the people Arno hated and killed reached out to him with pure kindness. No hostility, just someone trying to save another from evil. From descending down into true darkness. Its because that despite everything that happened, everything he did, people believed in the goodness in his heart. They held onto hope for Arno, not matter how tough it got. It was emotional for me to take in, and that's why I thought that today of all days should be a time where we really reflect on the goodness of humanity. Sunday is a day where we can go and look to others with kindness in our heart and help them. Because, we may one day become our own savior of darkness. All we have to do is believe in everyone we know, no matter how evil, or how despicable they get. Never give up hope. For that is exactly the first step in transforming our world into a true paradise.
Once and for all throughout time.