Buzz
We have witnessed the devastating price of war, observed the horrors of human cruelty, and through it all, we have discovered a strength within ourselves that no act of inhumanity can shatter. The resolve to persevere in the face of unimaginable terror is the essence of human nature, for beneath the pain and anger, we are all just people, bound to live, falter, and succeed together. Regardless of our race, religion, or beliefs, we all laugh in the same way, and we all cry the same way.
10. Punk and Monk
The Ananda Temple, constructed around A.D. 1100, is one of the many ancient temples that still stand in Bagan, Myanmar. According to legend, the monks who built this temple were killed by the king to ensure that they could never replicate its grandeur. Every year, Bagan invites visitors to this sacred site, celebrating with a two-week-long festival known as the Ananda Pagoda Festival.
During the festival, the temple’s streets and courtyards transform into a lively marketplace. Vibrantly colored garments hang from the ceilings of the shops, the aroma of sticky rice and ginger fills the air, vendors offer their goods, prices are negotiated, and in the background, the rhythmic chanting of 1,000 monks blankets the scene.
The event's diversity is astonishing, and the blending of cultures creates opportunities for stunning photos like the one above, captured by Roger Stonehouse of National Geographic.
9. The Riot Pianist
Ukraine entered 2014 amidst a turbulent wave of political unrest. The BBC dubbed early February 2014 as its “bloodiest week in decades,” with protesters violently clashing with riot officers after the government chose to strengthen ties with Russia instead of pursuing European integration. For weeks, the city was engulfed in flames. Each confrontation added to the death toll, yet the protesters' resolve only intensified.
Amidst the chaos, one man sat down to play Chopin.
On January 25, the crowd grew quiet as Markiyan Matsekh rolled an upright piano in front of a line of riot police, calmly seated himself, and began playing classical music. While it can be argued that this act of peaceful protest had no immediate impact on the ongoing violence, it made a powerful statement to the world: not all Ukrainians wanted to confront the government with weapons or aggression. With a few deliberate chords, one man became a symbol of change through peace and reason.
8. Keshia Thomas
For centuries, the division between black and white has marred human history. Only in recent decades have we begun to combat this shallow prejudice. While there is still much work to be done, progress is being made.
At least, that’s the outward appearance. But for every group that takes a hateful stance, there’s always an individual who challenges it in a remarkable way. Keshia Thomas was a high school student when a Ku Klux Klan rally was organized in her hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1996. Despite the community's best efforts to ease the racial tensions that plagued so many small American towns, the KKK showed up.
Protesters gathered outside the rally, and police stood by to maintain order. Keshia, one of the many African Americans present, recalls hearing a woman with a megaphone shout, “There’s a Klansman in the crowd.” Soon, the man was fleeing, with the crowd chasing after him. Whether or not he truly supported the KKK is unclear. What was known is that he wore a Confederate flag shirt and had an “SS” tattoo on his shoulder.
Soon, he was on the ground, curled in a fetal position, as blows and kicks rained down on him with shouts of “Kill the Nazi!” In the midst of this, Keshia Thomas intervened. Without regard for political differences, race, or past grievances, she threw herself over him to shield him from the attack, acting as one human protecting another. When asked why she did it, she simply responded, “I knew what it was like to be hurt. The many times that that happened, I wish someone would have stood up for me.”
7. A Christian Apology
The Chicago Pride Festival is an annual event in Chicago aimed at raising awareness for the gay community. Every summer, nearly a million people gather for this two-day celebration to show their support.
In 2010, photographer Michelle Gantner ventured onto the bustling, rainbow-colored streets to capture a few moments of the event. What she captured became one of the defining online images of the decade: a group of Christians offering a heartfelt hug to a gay man participating in the parade.
The group was organized by Andrew Marin, a Chicago resident working to bridge the gap between the Christian community and the LGBT population in the city’s Boystown neighborhood, a recognized gay community within the greater Chicago area. They appeared holding signs that read, “I’m sorry for how the church has treated you.”
6. The Iranian Riots
The aftermath of the 2009 Iranian election was chaotic. With 60 percent of the vote, hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held on to his presidency, despite widespread accusations of vote-rigging. Supporters of the defeated candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, flooded the streets in protest, a turbulent uprising that resulted in the deaths of anywhere from 20 to several hundred protesters, depending on who you ask.
Public opinion on the riot police, working under the new president, was overwhelmingly negative. Many had witnessed friends and family members gunned down by uniformed officers, and many of those victims never received a proper burial. Yet when an unidentified Mousavi supporter (evident from his green shirt) came across an injured police officer, he stepped in to shield him from further harm, despite the ongoing chaos.
5. Reunited In Death
In a quiet corner of an old cemetery in Roermond, Netherlands, two gravestones stand on opposite sides of a tall cement wall. One marks the resting place of Colonel J.C.P.H. Of Aeffderson, a Protestant officer in the Dutch army. The other belongs to his wife, J.W.C van Gorkum, a Dutch noblewoman and Catholic.
The couple was married for 40 years, and upon the Colonel’s passing, he was laid to rest in the Protestant section of the Het Oude Kerkhof, which translates to 'Old Cemetery' in Dutch. According to custom, his wife was meant to be buried in the family tomb, situated across a wall in the cemetery’s larger Catholic section.
However, van Gorkum did not conform to tradition. Before her death, she had a gravestone placed directly opposite her husband's, and a hand was sculpted extending from each grave, reaching across the wall. To this day, the two lovers' tombs remain forever intertwined in a final, eternal embrace.
4. Harmony In Cairo
In 2011, Cairo was a difficult place for religious freedom. Even though the movement was purely secular and centered solely on political change, the Muslim Brotherhood found themselves targeted in a series of attacks, likely due to then-President Mubarak’s frequent warnings about the threat of an Islamic takeover.
In retaliation, Coptic Christians, who make up just over 10 percent of Egypt’s population, became targets of Islamic extremist attacks as well. It was clear that, even within a secular struggle, religion couldn’t completely avoid the conflict.
Then came a deeply moving moment: In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Christians formed a protective ring around Muslim protesters as they knelt in prayer. Mubarak’s regime had previously launched attacks on vulnerable Muslims while they prayed, and this unprecedented display of unity emphasized that, despite deep religious divides, these protests transcended faith. As Egyptians, they stood united.
Later that same week, a group of Muslims returned the gesture, forming a human chain to protect Christian worshipers during Sunday Mass.
3. No Idea How To Hate
At what point do we decide to hate someone? This heart-wrenching photo poses that question—showing a toddler, far too young to grasp the concept of hate, yet brought to an event where hatred is the centerpiece. It’s impossible not to wonder what this child’s future might have held, raised in an environment where such strong emotions were instilled so early. Could he ever escape it?
Captured by Todd Robertson during a 1992 KKK rally in Gainesville, Georgia, the photo’s moment is described as simple but poignant: “One of the boys walked up to a black state trooper, who had his riot shield on the ground. When the boy saw his reflection, he reached for the shield.”
Shortly after, Robertson recalls that the boy’s mother, also dressed in Klan attire, quickly grabbed the child and pulled him away. And just like that, a brief and fragile interaction occurred—two completely opposing worlds colliding, if only for a fleeting second, through the innocent touch of a curious child.
2. Roses Through Barbed Wire
A powerful image from the 1967 antiwar demonstration at the Pentagon shows a young, long-haired hippie inserting a carnation into the barrel of a National Guardsman’s rifle. Since then, the idea of 'flower power protests' has become iconic, with similar peaceful gestures—flowers, toys, and flags—symbolizing protests rooted in peace, not hatred or violence.
In the photo above, taken in 2013, a protester in Bangkok, Thailand, mirrored the same peaceful protest tactic that inspired a generation almost 50 years earlier. Captured through a tunnel of razor wire, the image holds the same significance as any photo of military force being momentarily softened—if only by the delicate strength of peace.
1. An American Medic And A Nazi
World War II, long and harsh, has left an indelible mark on the public's memory, symbolizing the battle between good and evil. Even after the war ended and veterans stashed their rifles away, the image of the Nazis remains a convenient target for unchecked hatred. This is evident in the KKK photo above—where ordinary citizens, including housewives and children, became a murderous mob fueled by anger. The phrase 'Kill the Nazi' has become our rallying cry against oppression, because who could argue against such a cause?
Yet, the image above challenges this simplistic view by humanizing a Nazi. It turns the tearful boy into just another child who was handed a weapon and thrust into a war he might not have comprehended. Who is he? Did he partake in heinous acts before this moment? Was he destined to continue committing violence? We can’t know, because his life is captured in a single moment—frozen in time, lost, frightened, and vulnerable. In this instant, he is just like any of us.
