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On December 24, 1914, during the First World War, German and British troops stationed across from each other in Belgium concluded an informal truce in defiance of their commanding officers.

The Germans began by singing; the British responded with English carols, and both sides shouted Christmas greetings across the wasteland between them. A few soldiers stuck their heads above the fortifications and, not being fired upon, made their way to meet in the middle. Soon the enemy combatants were exchanging gifts and embraces.

The truce enabled both sides to recover the bodies of their slaughtered comrades, which had been rotting where they had fallen in No Man’s Land. Soldiers of both armies mourned the dead together. The next day, everyone gathered for a football match. We can imagine how senseless the war must have felt to them that afternoon.

By January, the commanding officers had regained control and the young men who had laughed, sang, cried, and played together were once again shooting, stabbing, and bombing each other.

It is not insubordination that is dangerous—it is obedience that is dangerous.

https://crimethinc.com/contradictionary