No Real Difference Between Us
StoryHistorical AccountTestimony★★★★Barney Ross, the former prize fighter, after a terrible night on Guadalcanal wrote: “Suddenly I heard all our voices and realized we were all praying. I was praying to a Jewish God. Atkins, my pal in the nearest foxhole, was praying to a Baptist God. The kid with a hole in his body and the middle finger of his right hand stuck in it to try to stop the blood was praying to a Catholic God.
The guy with his shoulder almost torn off, who was something else, was praying. ... It suddenly struck me that there was no real difference between us at all, . . . and I couldn’t help but wonder if people have to come that close to death to realize that we are all on the same side and all trying to get to the same place.”
— Cavert
Also attributed to: Barney Ross
The point
Barney Ross, a former boxer, reflects on a terrifying night on Guadalcanal where soldiers of different faiths prayed together, realizing their common humanity and shared desire to survive as they faced death.