(Essay) The wisdom that we learn from Uncle Tom's Cabin

I remembered one thing, reading Uncle Tom's Cabin by American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe.

When I was a university student, I had asked what I was wondering to my Christian friend. At that time, I was an unbeliever. "Why did Jesus not fight against Rome?" 

I thought that Jesus, as a Jewish leader, should have dedicated himself to the liberation of his country.

His answer was: If the world were turned upside down by force, there would still be another ruler who suppressed the people.

He added that Jesus came to the earth to break such a vicious circle. What Jesus wanted to transform was not politics but humankind.

There is a similar debate over Uncle Tom.

From the perspective of today's human rights activists, Uncle Tom was an easy-going slave who was just obedient to his master.

But we need to realize that Tom's character, looking weak, has rather become a spark that burned the flames of the Civil War.

A greeting from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Stowe, the author, tells the truth. "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

Tom forgave his evil master, Simon Legree, even as he was beaten to death. It reminds readers of the image of the deacon Stephen(Acts 7:60), who followed the forgiveness of Jesus on the Cross. 

We Christians are concerned about how to change our history. Reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, I saw that Tom's obedience, patience, and forgiveness destroyed the stronghold of slavery.

I would like to remind ourselves of the lessons learned from Uncle Tom's Cabin in a situation where human rights are still being unfairly violated.