You may not agree, but I always want to believe that human nature is inherently good.
Yes, the struggle for economic interests and rights has led to brutal wars, large and small, from ancient times to the present. Sad human rationalizations have beautified the ugliness with justice, to defend dignity, to support freedom, and other all kinds of high-profile reasons. Naked truth. Write down the bright red and bloody pages of dirty pages in human history. The astonishing number of innocent victims in the war have made human beings the most evil and terrifying species on the planet.
Okay, if it’s serious, it’s almost the same. In fact, today’s theme is very warm. When everyone focuses on these tragedies and how fierce the war is, it is difficult to remember the beauty in human nature. Some war reporters secretly photographed moments that revealed kindness and humanity, capturing the freshness amidst the chaos. These photos remind us that these soldiers who are forced to kill on the battlefield for various reasons, or people who are unfortunate enough to be in war zones, also have a sincere and kind side of human nature.
18-year-old Keshia Thomas defends a white supremacist from outrageous attack [1996]
Dog officers Ryan Lee and Valdo snuggle survive on the hospital floor [Afghanistan War, 2011]
A woman defends an injured protester from a military tank [Egypt, 2013]
Soldier Joselito Sevilla is comforted after being abused by protesters [Manila, Philippines, 2013]
Residents of Ferguson, Missouri, United States, unite to protect businesses from looting [2014]
Russian police hold a baby just released from a school in Beslan occupied by armed and masked people [2004]
Soviet soldiers and German prisoners shared cigars [World War II, July, 1943]
A German soldier provides clothing to injured Russian civilians [World War II, c. 1941]
A German soldier distributes his food rations to a Russian mother and her children [World War II, c. 1941]
American soldiers lead Dutch children to dance [World War II, c. 1944 - 1945]
An East German soldier ignored the order that "no one is allowed to cross the border" and helped a little boy who was separated from his family on both sides of the border to cross the "Berlin Wall" [Cold War, 1961]
A soldier befriends a dog [Iraq War, c. 2003 - 2011]
A soldier chatting with a little girl [2011]
U.S. troops treat a wounded dog [World War II, 1944]
Protesters carry an injured police officer to safety [Turkey, 2013]
Reporter Raymond saves a child from running across a bridge into France during the Spanish Civil War [1936]
Three German soldiers helped a Frenchman trapped in a swamp during the Battle of Verdun [World War I, c. 1916]
German soldiers playing with lost kittens [World War II, c. 1943]
An American female soldier holds the hand of a little Afghan girl [Afghanistan War, 2010]
A soldier shares water and food with a Saipan child [c. July, 1944]
Little boy holds a blind mans hand through war-torn streets [Korean War, c, 1951]
In a football match played on the Western Front, German and British soldiers put aside their nationality barriers and played together [World War I, 24 December, 1914]
A Tunisian girl sends flowers to soldiers after the army refuses to set fire to protesters and declares it will "defend the revolutionary movement" [Tunisian Revolution, 2011]
A priest comforts wounded soldiers [El Porte?azo Uprising, Venezuela, 1962]
A Jordanian soldier warms the hands of a Syrian girl who was evacuated from her home [Syrian Civil War, c. 2013]
Bosnian soldier takes care of a baby he rescued during the evacuation in Gora?de. [1995]
A Ukrainian soldier kisses his girlfriend through a door surrounded by Soviet troops [2014]
A soldier carries two Vietnamese children across the battlefield [Vietnam War, c. 1955 - 1975]
Richard Barnett, a medic at the U.S. Naval Hospital, holds a little girl who was separated from her family during a firefight between the two armies [Iraq War, 2003]
A French soldier helps a family escape during the Spanish Civil War [c. 1938]
A Ukrainian woman gives water to a Soviet prisoner [World War II, 1941]
A brave pastor organized a human wall between protesters and police [Ukrainian Revolution, 2013]
Pvt. Dick L. Powell shared his food with puppies [Korean War, c, 1951]
Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor feeds a kitten whose mother was lost in mortar fire [Korean War, 1953]
An infantryman comforts his comrade [Korean War, c. 1950 - 1953]
Afghan soldiers hold a crying boy frightened by the explosion [Afghanistan War, c. 2001 - 2014]
A young boy watches a field medic bandage his brothers injured foot [World War II, 1944]
Joseph Dwyer carries an injured little boy to safety [Iraq War, c. 2003- 2011]
American soldiers in armor push a trapped vehicle carrying two seriously wounded German soldiers [World War II, 26 January, 1945]
Two American soldiers try to entertain a little girl with a puppy [World War II, 1944]
The natives of Papua New Guinea, known as the "confused angels" because of their curly hair and innocent nature, escort a wounded soldier through the bush [World War II, 1942]
In Egypts revolutionary movement, Christians protect Muslims as they pray [Cairo, Egypt, 2011]
An Egyptian holds his hand after the army refused orders to set fire to civilians [Egyptian Revolution, 2011]
Of course, war is always cruel, but what these photos capture is people’s intuitive reactions at that moment in extreme circumstances, which is the most direct expression and yearning for love and care. No matter how many misfortunes there are, I hope this light will not be forgotten.
