The Boy Who Fought Back

People often ask why people who are oppressed or mistreated do not fight back. The answer is usually that they believe that they are powerless to protect themselves or that they need all their strength just to survive. Sometimes, an individual or a group resists, and those acts of resistance involve great courage. Courageous acts may require physical bravery or they may ask one to speak fearlessly. Such courage can change the course of events.

During the Great Irish Potatoe Famine, people could not afford to pay the rent on their land. Some landlords were understanding and gave their tenants more time to raise the money. Other landlords took their tenants' other livestock in place of the rent.

An American woman was traveling in Ireland during the Famine when she saw a group of men armed with pistols ride their horses up to a group of houses. They had come to take the cattle and sheep. One of the men rounded up the animals and drove them onto the road. The people begged to be allowed to keep their cattle and sheep. They cried, "We're lost. They have left us nothing." The armed men paid no attention to their pleas. Once they had gathered all the animals, they headed out of town and up over a hill. Following behind them were the townspeople. When they reached the top of the hill, they looked at their cows and sheep one last time before returning to their village.

Watching from the side of the road was a boy of about 14 years. He seemed to struggle with his feelings for a few minutes, and then, all of a sudden, he rushed after the herd. Running between the men and the animals, he screamed at the animals, waving his arms and sending them first one way and then the other. The armed men threatened to shoot the boy, but he continued to scatter the stock until the entire herd began heading back to the village. For a few more minutes, the armed men sat silently on the their horses, watching the young boy. Then, all was calm, as the men stopped their threats and rode off.

The townspeople, who had fled in fear of what the armed men might do to them if they refused to give them their animals, now raced back to the boy. Together, they reclaimed their animals and brought them home.

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Updated: 11/21/09 08:33 pm
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