While everyone encounters setbacks in life, whether they be trivial mistakes or grave tragedies, what matters most is how one deals with these challenges in order to achieve their goals nonetheless. In Rais Bhuiyan’s case, his shooting and partial blindness provided the most significant setback in his journey to become successful in America; yet rather than let his injuries at the hands of a hate crime fuel him with anger, Rais responded with empathy and compassion through the establishment of his own non-profit organization called World Without Hate.
The World Without Hate’s mission is to instill “cross-cultural empathy, compassion and forgiveness through education, community outreach and advocacy”. Since the foundation’s inception in 2013, it has been a pivotal resource for educational institutions, lawmakers, and minority groups, providing workshops and lectures advocating against the dangers of hate generated crimes and fostering ways in which people from different backgrounds can end these fatalities by identifying with each other and working together.
Bhuiyan was not the only person involved in his attack that made the best of the lessons learned from the ordeal. His shooter, Mark Stroman, spent his final years in prison writing a blog which detailed his accounts of his childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and the tumultuous experiences that resulted in his social isolationism, drug addiction, and violent behavior. Throughout his lengthy decade behind bars, Stroman evolved from an unapologetic, narrow minded man into a remorseful one who urged his audience to rid themselves of hatred and prejudice. Though he was unable to be pardoned from his death row sentence despite Rais’ campaign, Stroman was touched by Bhuiyan’s unwavering forgiveness and compassion, and was influenced to adopt the same attitudes towards himself and to others.
Anybody can let failure, ignorance, or acts of selfishness make them become jaded or wish to seek revenge, but to put aside the will for retribution in favor of empathy and compassion takes a unique individual who is willing to put an end to a detrimental cycle of hatred for the greater good.
Bala Sivaraman is a junior at UMass Amherst majoring in communication.