More on How We Might Come to...

More on How We Might Come to Peace With Forgiveness

I continue to be haunted by Vince Beiser’s article “The Ultimate Forgiveness” (April 4). Whether stemming from a pathological, spiritual or enlightened impulse, the capacity to forgive and the choice to forgive a grievous wrong--such as the murder of a loved one--are absolutely required to achieve world peace. Sadly, there is a long list of people who would have to accept and forgive the killers of loved ones for the world to find calm. This list would include the thousands of children whose parents have been killed in political-religious conflicts around the globe, from Baghdad to New York and from the West Bank to Washington, D.C.

With every bomb, we see children in news photos chanting a death-to-someone mantra. They grow up to be followers or leaders of revengeful, myopic, selfish creeds. The generational cycle of violence may never end. But articles such as Beiser’s make people consider the possibility of a world stunned into silence by the power of the act of forgiveness. If only we could make a forgiving, quiet world our collective goal instead of tolerating the perpetual agony of vengeance.

Shelley Frost

Lomita

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Surprisingly, Sharon Tewksbury, the national volunteer coordinator for Parents of Murdered Children, needs to understand what forgiveness means. It does not mean saying to the killer, “It’s OK that you did this, my husband’s life didn’t matter.” Forgiveness does not excuse the act, nor is the act to be erased from your memory. It can simply mean, “I forgive you”--nothing more. Or, that Christ-like gesture can relieve you of lifelong anger, permit closure and promote healing. You can then become a productive member of society rather than lose your life to misery and ill health.

Shirley Sawtell

Thousand Oaks