"If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also . . ."

". . . If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic."

Someone actually put this principle into practice. And look at the results! (From March 2008. Thanks to my brother David for the link.)

[A]s [Julio] Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth. . . .

Sorry. You've got to go to the original to read the rest of the story.

Amazing.

I don't think I could bring myself to do these things.

I have a lot to learn, yet.

My sense: Diaz has trained himself through repeated acts of kindness to respond in the manner he did that evening in February 2008.