On either side of a potentially violent conflict, an opportunity exists to exercise compassion and diminish fear based on recognition of each other's humanity. Without such recognition, fear fueled by uninformed assumptions, cultural prejudice, desperation to meet basic human needs, or the panicked uncertainty of the moment explodes into violence.
"Fear is the original sin," suddenly said a still, small voice away back--back--back of Valancy's consciousness. "Almost all the evil in the world has its origin in the fact that some one is afraid of something." Valancy stood up. She was still in the clutches of fear, but her soul was her own again. She would not be false to that inner voice."
He was a pitiful thing. He had always been a pitiful thing. Why had she never seen that before? There was a hollow place inside her where her fear had been.