Korner: Sir Nicholas Winton
.
I hadn't even heard of Sir Nicholas Winton, the "British Schindler," before a 90-second video re-circulated on Twitter following his peaceful death at 106. It's tastefully done and emotionally/spiritually nourishing.
Here is my favorite version of the video. We advise watching that original piece, before reflecting on it (below if so desired). :- )
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
For further reading, the Wikipedia entry on him is concise and well done.
.
.
A minor takeaway is --- > let's focus on altruism, over tribalism. As far as I know, Sir Winton was an atheist, and he was an Englishman. His compassion and self-sacrifice for Jews is a reminder that there is one tribe, the human tribe. You, I, Sir Winton, Dr. King, every person can work towards "one tribe" understanding and brotherly love if we choose.
By word (as Dr. King did) or example (as Sir Winton did), we will all benignly share our worldviews with one another in peace. As Gandhi did and Siddartha did and Dr. King did. Reasonable persuasion is not malice and is not violence. As we help others and talk to others, the overarc'ing drive must be to give, not take.
...
A major takeaway is --- > love is its own reward. No thanks needed, no compensation needed. Being a part of love?, is itself an unsurpassable state of being, as any newborn's mother could tell you.
A famous paradox is, "He who humbles himself shall be abased." Very close to "He who loses his life shall gain it." Winton genuinely did not WANT even his wife, much less others, to even know about his heroic acts, much less reward him for them.
Ironically, in his 90's and 100's he received his thanks for every moment of it. One of those appreciations was The Order of the White Lion, 1st Class, the highest award that the Czech Republic can give a person. Winton was not thinking about the Order when he set up a humanitarian office in a motel in Prague in 1938. He wound up owning the Order as a byproduct of a glorious life that far transcended the Order.
Winton's quiet, dignified choice with to use his life to serve and to give. Everybody's blood is the same color.
Love and respect,
Jeff