Every day, the media take snapshots of our culture. And, though it is said that the camera doesn’t lie, what we see is not truth. In fact, we are being lied to about something very basic: who we are. Because every picture tells a story, the way the camera is pointed matters.

Huge sections of the story of “us” are not being documented.

In The Compassionate Rebel, we take the camera, literally and figuratively, into our own hands and point it at people whose stories depict the rest of who we are. Through interviews, stories, and photographs, we share with you a hidden culture, and our hope is to reveal it in its full power and beauty.

Compassionate rebels are role models for the masses and mentors for activists. They are producers of democracy, rather than embittered citizens. They teach us how to protest without violence, how to rebel without destroying, and how to say no without saying goodbye. Compassionate rebels bring to our viewfinder people who are exploring their anger, rage, and disappointment and seeking solutions to oppression, racism, abuse, troubled relationships, and economic woes.

Compassionate rebel Tom La Blanc does it by saying no to personal victimization and racism through building bridges between his Sioux culture and others in the States and Europe. Mary Shepard does it by using the power of her wealth to support grass roots movements. Rachel Hefte did it by standing against the U.S.-backed contras in solidarity with Nicaraguan peasants. Jim Lovestar does it by rebelling against the power of his childhood wounds and offering his compassion and energy to others through the “Men’s Warrior” movement.

The stories of compassionate rebels delve deeply into issues of morality. With characteristic indignance, compassionate rebel Dorothy Woolfork said, “Don’t ask me to fall in line. I don’t fall in line. I do what’s right.”

Moral action is inspired by a deep-rooted sense of right and wrong, which can stem from a religious belief and/or a strong sense of fairness/justice. People on the right, the left, or the middle of the political spectrum can experience rage at immoral actions. This anger can be a powerful catalyst for action. Compassionate rebels use both compassion and anger in their efforts. They make a difference in their own lives, right where they stand.

The compassionate rebels in this book have found nonviolent solutions to personal, familial, national, and international struggles. They grappled with a host of obstacles as they pursued their dreams. You will relate to the multiple challenges each one faced, including child abuse, racism, isolation, hopelessness, lack of resources, and lack of support. Faced with injustice, the compassionate rebel is propelled to action.

Having moved from one millennium to the next, many of us are stirred by a yearning for deeper meaning and purpose in our lives. Perhaps we have made resolutions about creating a more livable world for ourselves or for others. Reflecting upon the past century, we know we can’t continue the violence we inflict on each other and the earth, but we may not see our part in the solution. We may not know that none of the inequities in our society could exist without our complicity, that our society is out of balance largely because we, as individuals, are. The pain and suffering all around us are a reflection of our stymied consciousness and how gravely we are failing to love—to care.

We are well aware of great leaders or government programs that try to save us from ourselves, but we instinctively know that they are not enough. All is not well . . . a child is abused, someone is killed in a drive-by shooting, the store on the corner has been robbed for the fourth time, a hate-crime rocks the neighborhood, a violent shoot out occurs in an apparently tranquil school, a drunken driver leaves a brilliant teacher brain-damaged, a teenager has run away to escape from the war at home, the latest fight between husband and wife is heading them to the divorce court, and the list goes on.