Recently, I watched the first two episodes of the PBS American Experience documentary, The Abolitionists.  It is incredibly humbling to learn that in the history of this country there has always been people who despite seemingly insurmountable odds, they have not only stood up against ignorance, exploitation, injustice and oppression, but they have actually put their own lives on the line.

It is also very instructive to be reminded about the outright sadistic brutality some of our fellow men are capable of, often driven by unquenchable greed and total disregard of the human suffering they cause.

Our history is replete with examples of what can only be described as acts of barbarism, with pillage, enslavement, multiple periods of genocide, racism, corruption, war profiteering, and many other evils.