When we consider historical events, we often think of the well-known people involved in them—who wielded the power, who made the decisions, the people who were directly affected.

Yet, to get a full picture of each situation, we must remember that history is shaped by both action and inaction—and bystanders and witnesses are as much a part of the story as the ones whose names are etched into our history books. This is especially true when, in the face of evil, they refuse to take a stand or to speak up against the injustice. Without their presence and influence, society as it stands today could look very different.

Portrait of Inhumanity

In March of 1993, photographer Kevin Carter visited southern Sudan to photograph the famine striking the land. There, he encountered an emaciated toddler, starving and near death. She was crawling toward a United Nations feeding center and had stopped to rest.

Just behind her, a falcon was perched, as if the toddler were its prey. Seizing the opportunity to capture an iconic photograph, Carter positioned himself for the best image, careful not to disturb the bird. He waited twenty minutes, hoping the falcon would spread its wings to make the image even more dramatic.

It never did, so he snapped what he had anyway and chased the bird away when he was finished. The image ran in the New York Times on March 26, 1993. The next year, Carter won a Pulitzer Prize for the image.

Yet, the backlash and criticism was immediate. One journalist for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida wrote, “The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering, might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene.”

He not only refused to help the girl, but he also refused to chase the falcon away, all for the sake of a prize-winning photo. That same year, Carter took his own life from depression.

In the time spent waiting for the falcon to spread its wings, how much evil do we let slip by? How much suffering do we worsen?

When good men and women witness evil and fail to say anything, they amplify the iniquity tenfold, often ensuring any voice of opposition is impossible to hear and comes too late.