On December 25, 1914, British and German soldiers stopped fighting and met in the middle of “no man’s land” to socialize, exchange gifts, and play soccer. In what has become known as the Christmas Truce of World War I, the men, for a moment, returned to being normal people. Perhaps the holiday made them nostalgic for their families and the joy of the season. From inside the cold, wet, snow-filled trenches, one side started singing Christmas carols, and then the other side joined in.

The men once again thought for themselves: “Those people on the other side of the battlefield are not our enemies; they are just like us; conscripted slaves forced to kill by their masters.” The men remembered their humanity, their individualism, and their critical-thinking ability, and for a few precious hours, they woke up and saw the truth.

The next day, however, their officers threatened them with harsh phrases: “You’re committing treason; this is blasphemy; and you are fraternizing with the enemy.” Their overseers scared them back into fighting mode and back into groupthink with patriotic words of allegiance to the homeland, and lies about the enemy’s vile differences.

“Despotic governments do not recognize the precious human component of the state, seeing its citizens only as a faceless, mindless—and helpless—mass to be manipulated at will. It is as though people were incidental to a nation rather than its very life-blood.” –Aung San Suu Kyi

It is theorized that civilization began when hunter-gathering nomads started settling down in fertile river valleys and producing their own food by farming. As those communities of farmers grew and prospered, they became targets of pillaging marauders. It is further theorized that governments began to protect these villages from plundering........

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