Story of black man who befriended Klansmen is instructive

I was fascinated to read about an American black musician who talked with members of the Ku Klux Klan to find out why they hated him. Although some of them continued to be racists, they seemed to be having second thoughts after becoming friends with this black man. One Klan leader even quit the Klan and denounced their philosophy.
What separates us from one another isn’t good and evil but misunderstanding. Suppose you grew up as a Hindu in India in the 1940s. You might have been a follower of Gandhi. But if at that time you grew up as a Christian in Germany you might have supported Hitler. So it’s too simplistic to say the difference between Gandhi supporters and Hitler supporters is the difference between good and evil.
If we understood that our “enemies” are deep down inside similar to us as human beings, a great deal of war and persecution could be avoided.
Eric Bahrt
Chiang Mai