Forgiveness vs. Justice
Many people may have the same question. What is forgiveness? Why should people forgive? The answer is simply easy ----Love! Forgiveness is love. Because of love, people forgive. When someone trends on a violet, the fragrant odor of a violet will remain on his hands and feet. Although the violet has been violated, it will still bring aroma to the world. This is forgiveness. Simon Wiesenthal, the author, “forgetting is something that time along takes care of, but forgiveness is an act of volition, and only the sufferer is qualified to make the decision” (97-98). On the other hand, justice should be used as a sharp sword to protect people from suffering in a horrible crime or an evil event. According to Simon Wiesenthal, the author, the relationship between forgiveness and justice is delicate. For most times, people should open their heart to forgive others, while sometimes people should take it seriously and fight for it. (66) Therefore, if an event doesn’t touch the bottom line of justice, it can be forgiven; on the other hand, if an event touches the bottom line of justice, it may be forgiven with a serious punishment.
This book, Sun Flower, is mainly talking about the relationship between forgiveness and justice through a cruel processing event that the Nazis killed Jewish in Poland. Back into that specific time 1940’s in Poland, the darkness shrouded the lands. The Nazis ruled most Jewish people, and trade them as slaves between concentration camps in Europe. A lot of Jewish people were killed and suicide in concentration camps. The name of the book, Sun Flower, stands for a hope for being honored, or be hanging in the light. Simon Wiesenthal, the author, “I would be buried in a mass grave, where corpses would be pile on top of me. No sunflower would ever bring light into my darkness, and no butterflies would dance above my dreadful tomb” (14-15). He felt that it is not fair because the murderers could have sunflowers on their tomb to show as an honor, while the victims couldn’t. So he felt that he had no right to forgive on behalf of all those who died.
The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, “in fact one should be aware and remember these experiences so that efforts can be made to check the reoccurrence of such atrocities in the future” (129). Whether people forgive or not, it should be still justice. As most people know that the things happen today may easily affect the future. Therefore, if a crime continues happen nowadays and can be effortlessly forgiven, it will always happen in the future. If there is no justice today, there is no justice in the future. However, forgiveness is a personal behavior, while justice is a social requirement. One can simply forgive another by anyway, but it still should be justice.
In some religion reasons, people may always forgive others although they have done a lot of evil things, but it may not justice. Buddhism often pays attention to fate. For example if two people meet, it is nothing but fate. In another way, fate leads people to meet, to talk, to know, and to have relationship. Because of fate, people love each other; while, because of fate people hate each other. As a result, people forgive because the forgiveness is destined. Also, in Christian religion, people always forgive others because they believe that if they don’t forgive others, the god will never forgive them. In this care, people may easily forgive others’ mistakes but it may be injustice. In other way, if people easily forgive a serious crime, there is no justice in the world. Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Chair in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, “in Judaism, where forgiveness requires both atonement and restitution, there are two sins that can never be forgiven: murder and destroying someone’s reputation” (172). As a result, the Nazis should not be easily forgiven because of justice.
Learning to forgive others is also a way to learn to benefit ourselves. Learning to be tolerant, you will always be fulfilled. Hate can only make our hearts live in the darkness forever, but forgiveness sets our hearts free. Forgiveness can change your life and make your world be planted with happy and noble flowers! Waiting for the fall harvest, the fruit of those flowers will embrace you. Give others a chance to be forgiven, and give ourselves a chance to enjoy the pleasure to forgive. However, the most important thing is that to evaluate whether the event can be forgiven or the event go over to across the bottom line about the justice.
Works Cited
Wiesenthal, Simon, Harry J. Cargas, and Bonny V. Fetterman. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. New York: Schocken, 1997. Print.
Many people may have the same question. What is forgiveness? Why should people forgive? The answer is simply easy ----Love! Forgiveness is love. Because of love, people forgive. When someone trends on a violet, the fragrant odor of a violet will remain on his hands and feet. Although the violet has been violated, it will still bring aroma to the world. This is forgiveness. Simon Wiesenthal, the author, “forgetting is something that time along takes care of, but forgiveness is an act of volition, and only the sufferer is qualified to make the decision” (97-98). On the other hand, justice should be used as a sharp sword to protect people from suffering in a horrible crime or an evil event. According to Simon Wiesenthal, the author, the relationship between forgiveness and justice is delicate. For most times, people should open their heart to forgive others, while sometimes people should take it seriously and fight for it. (66) Therefore, if an event doesn’t touch the bottom line of justice, it can be forgiven; on the other hand, if an event touches the bottom line of justice, it may be forgiven with a serious punishment.
This book, Sun Flower, is mainly talking about the relationship between forgiveness and justice through a cruel processing event that the Nazis killed Jewish in Poland. Back into that specific time 1940’s in Poland, the darkness shrouded the lands. The Nazis ruled most Jewish people, and trade them as slaves between concentration camps in Europe. A lot of Jewish people were killed and suicide in concentration camps. The name of the book, Sun Flower, stands for a hope for being honored, or be hanging in the light. Simon Wiesenthal, the author, “I would be buried in a mass grave, where corpses would be pile on top of me. No sunflower would ever bring light into my darkness, and no butterflies would dance above my dreadful tomb” (14-15). He felt that it is not fair because the murderers could have sunflowers on their tomb to show as an honor, while the victims couldn’t. So he felt that he had no right to forgive on behalf of all those who died.
The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, “in fact one should be aware and remember these experiences so that efforts can be made to check the reoccurrence of such atrocities in the future” (129). Whether people forgive or not, it should be still justice. As most people know that the things happen today may easily affect the future. Therefore, if a crime continues happen nowadays and can be effortlessly forgiven, it will always happen in the future. If there is no justice today, there is no justice in the future. However, forgiveness is a personal behavior, while justice is a social requirement. One can simply forgive another by anyway, but it still should be justice.
In some religion reasons, people may always forgive others although they have done a lot of evil things, but it may not justice. Buddhism often pays attention to fate. For example if two people meet, it is nothing but fate. In another way, fate leads people to meet, to talk, to know, and to have relationship. Because of fate, people love each other; while, because of fate people hate each other. As a result, people forgive because the forgiveness is destined. Also, in Christian religion, people always forgive others because they believe that if they don’t forgive others, the god will never forgive them. In this care, people may easily forgive others’ mistakes but it may be injustice. In other way, if people easily forgive a serious crime, there is no justice in the world. Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Chair in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, “in Judaism, where forgiveness requires both atonement and restitution, there are two sins that can never be forgiven: murder and destroying someone’s reputation” (172). As a result, the Nazis should not be easily forgiven because of justice.
Learning to forgive others is also a way to learn to benefit ourselves. Learning to be tolerant, you will always be fulfilled. Hate can only make our hearts live in the darkness forever, but forgiveness sets our hearts free. Forgiveness can change your life and make your world be planted with happy and noble flowers! Waiting for the fall harvest, the fruit of those flowers will embrace you. Give others a chance to be forgiven, and give ourselves a chance to enjoy the pleasure to forgive. However, the most important thing is that to evaluate whether the event can be forgiven or the event go over to across the bottom line about the justice.
Works Cited
Wiesenthal, Simon, Harry J. Cargas, and Bonny V. Fetterman. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. New York: Schocken, 1997. Print.