From Infamy to Respect through Forgiveness.

             This last December 7^th was the 75^th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. All the news and commentary got me thinking about all sorts of things related to world and American politics. Those of you that are familiar with me and my writings know that I tend to lean towards a negative or pessimistic view of things. That’s why it will come as a surprise to you, almost as much as it did to me, that the reminder of that tragic “day that will live in infamy” actually brought me hope for the future of mankind.

            Before I explain, let’s do a quick recap. The “sneak” attack on the naval base in Hawaii killed over 2000 Americans and forced the United States into World War II. Over the next 4 years in the Pacific, thousands more from both sides were killed. There were countless battles big and small with dehumanizing actions and rhetoric from all parties involved. This all culminated in the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japanese cities that killed another 130,000 people effectively ending the war.

            That was the war against Japan, the war in Europe had an even greater toll and if you combine them the total deaths of civilians and military equaled 3% of the total world population of the time. It was also just an average human life span ago, so really not that much time has passed.

            So how is it that the death of millions of people just three generations ago gives me hope? In a nutshell, it’s called forgiveness. If you think about the men and women that were most affected, most involved, that group that’s been labeled “the greatest generation”, not only did they sacrifice but then they helped rebuild their enemies.

            Japan and Germany are now two of our closest allies in world politics, economy, and culture. That couldn’t have happened if everyone had held on to their pain and anger or just wanted to subjugate the defeated. I think it’s a bright spot in our national history and something that shouldn’t be forgotten, especial in this time of polarized national politics.

            Like the old adage goes, to err is human to forgive divine. Not only is forgiveness divine, it’s also hard work and somewhat counter intuitive. I know this from personal experience, first with my father whom I blamed for so many things in my youth. It took me years of therapy and more than a few emotional confrontations with him before I was willing to forgive. It also took me a few years to forgive my best friend who fired me after 11 years of working together. And sure I know that forgiving friends and family is hardly comparable with forgiving someone who tried to kill you but hey I’ve got to try and relate somehow.

            So knowing that in the past, collectively, as a nation, we’ve had the capacity to forgive our enemies, I wonder can this generation do that. I think about a phrase that’s been uttered countless times over the last 16 years, “Never Forget”. I totally understand the need to remember and commemorate those involved in national tragedies, but I think that for many Americans “never forget” equals never forgive. At what point are we going to stop blaming all Muslims and Arabs for what a radical few did on 9/11?

            And what about here in the United States? Can we forgive the police for the actions of a few bad cops? Can we stop stereotyping all black men for that same action of a few thugs and drug addicts? Can we quit blaming the rich for the plight of the poor or for that matter can we stop blaming the poor for being poor?

            In my opinion, one of the major steps to forgiveness is to take responsibility or at the very least stop blaming others. Let’s collectively own up to our part in this dysfunctional two party political mess we have in Washington. Through ignorance, greed, intolerance, and just plain laziness, we’ve let ourselves get pitted against each other and against our own self interest.

            Now is the time to forgive our neighbors and ourselves for what we’ve done in the past and to move forward in a positive way. It’s a new year, a new administration, and a totally new unknown. I personally didn’t vote for Donald Trump for many reasons but he being a Washington outsider wasn’t one of them.

I will give him the respect and the time to prove himself with his actions. Because as I can attest based on what I get paid for these columns, talk is cheap.

To view the column in it's original form go to page 16 of the following link. Winters Express 1/26/17