Finding the inspiration to be better in the face of atrocity

Finding the inspiration to be better in the face of atrocity

The tragic events on Sunday has filled everybody with grief, but there are also the inspiring stories of heroism and self-sacrifice that we can be uplifted by and learn from.

It is particularly confronting at this time of year. I have been reminded of a time when I was a young doctor working in Central Australia.

I attended a Christmas gathering being led by the local Anglican Minister who I had never met before. He seemed a thoughtful and humble man - a traditional old man of the cloth.

He gave a talk reflecting on the traditions of Christmas and recalled his childhood in 1930s England. Chestnuts around the fire, snow, apple-bobbing, the Yule log, Christmas pudding, fruit-mince pies and so on. He explained the religious symbolism of some of these Christmas traditions.

The local audience, mostly Indigenous, listened patiently and politely. I was bemused, and had him written off as a bit out of touch - too unworldly and perhaps not really suited for the rugged outback of Central Australia, with its particular challenges.

My opinion of him changed with the next part of his story.

He explained that just before Christmas in 1944, he was walking along the New Cross Road to go shopping in Deptford in London. He was looking down the street to the shops when there was a movement like a shadow from above. Suddenly, the shop buildings in front of him silently twisted and crumpled. Moments later, he was knocked over by the blast from the explosion of the V2 rocket bomb that had made a direct hit on the shop.

To explain, during the last year of World War II, Germany hit London with over 1400 V2 missiles. The New Cross road attack was one of the worst, killing 165 people.

Unlike the V1 buzz-bombs, the V2s were supersonic. There was no warning sound.

Hence, as he described, he saw the building crumple before he heard the explosion and was hit by the blast.

What was particularly memorable was what he said next.

As he regained consciousness in the carnage around him, he resolved to spend the rest of his life working for peace in the world.

I found out later that, despite my initial assumptions about him, he had been a quiet achiever over many years in his work in Central Australia and elsewhere. His story, of finding life purpose from tragedy, and hope for reconciliation rather than revenge, certainly inspired me at the time and since.

It is too easy in the face of extremism and atrocity such as we saw last Sunday to react in anger and hatred. We have to reach inside ourselves and find inspiration to be better.

We need to reach out to each other and show compassion and understanding. We need to be tolerant of each other's differences, but not tolerate intolerance or extremism.

If we do this, we can all play our part to create peace in the world. This is a challenge for all of us. Because in the long run, if we don't all learn to live together, we will never live at all.

Ross Kerridge is the lord mayor of Newcastle. He is on leave undergoing cancer treatment.

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