The compassionate rebel exists in all of us. Those featured in this book are ordinary people who have shared their stories and, thus, provided each reader with an avenue to uncover the compassionate rebel within himself or herself.

Our challenge, as we begin the twenty-first century, is developing ways to tell our own stories and bear witness to the stories of others, in order to create a more just society, where everyone can grow to his or her full potential. Our ancestral tradition of oral history as a method of creating culture is rediscovered as we read these interviews as spoken stories. Each story reintroduces us to important parts of our cultures and ourselves.

This book is a wellspring of hope. It challenges us not to be bystanders, but rather protectors of human rights in our daily lives. These life lessons provide an opportunity for us to travel to new places, see new perspectives, and acquire a new consciousness of the human experience.

What do the personal stories in The Compassionate Rebel have in common with our own life experiences? I hope that each reader will attempt to answer this question for him or herself. The commonalities are significant because they provide insights into us. Each connection may help us uncover what effective rebellion and true compassion are and lead us to what being “human” and “humane” really mean.

In every corner of the world, we continue to observe starvation, violence, discrimination, exploitation, murder, environmental atrocities, illiteracy, death from preventable diseases, homelessness, and war. The Compassionate Rebel provides us with an avenue for exploration of inspiring triumphs and courageous attempts to address some of these causes of suffering.

The Compassionate Rebel encouraged me to look at my life and reflect on additional ways I can make the world a better place. Yes, I understand that our suffering, oppression, and healing are connected. Yet, I benefited from the stories of others, as I found a renewed energy and compassionate voice from my youth saying, “That’s just not fair. I’m going to . . .”

The compassionate rebels in this book continued learning from others while fighting against injustice. Whether or not these storytellers directly connected their actions to their personal or community values, they knew what action they must take and were driven to speak out. They not only realized what was and is “wrong,” but also they related closely with their own and others’ pain and struggles, and were mobilized to action.

After the atrocities of the Holocaust, a group of compassionate rebels gathered together with a commitment to creating a list of principles that every government, individual, and organ of society could agree upon as standards of values and behaviors for all. They succeeded in drafting The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, and now represents a

foundation for defining human rights today. We have been able to draft the document, now we need to affect the culture, so the goals of the document can be truly realized.

Why do some individuals rebel against injustice? Why do some individuals feel compassion on a very deep level? These two key questions have challenged me as a mother of two. I believe that we can learn many answers from our children.

Children show both their rebellion and compassion openly. They also know and value what is fair and just. Unfortunately, others too often role model hiding love and empathy, and accepting the injustice life deals them and others. The Compassionate Rebel provides amazing examples of people who have held onto these two human capacities: “compassion” and “rebellion.”