Should criminals be shown mercy? 2
26th Jul 2009
Hello lovely people
South Africa had a unique situation for years where young white South African men were conscripted by the government to fight against the “enemy”, which were young black South African men. The white men went to war, not being sure who their enemy was. The black men organised a defence, not being sure who their enemy was. Both sides united on the basis of skin colour, and fought against people who had a different skin colour. They were all citizens of a country they loved, and they all fought for their country. You cannot get a more superficial or a more personal war than that.
The outcome of the civil war in South Africa included a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The objective of this Commission was to provide a platform to victims of the civil war where they could be heard, and at the same time to provide a platform for perpetrators of violence to give testimony and provide amnesty from prosecution.
There has been much criticism of the work of the TRC in the sense that many people felt the reparations were slow and meagre. However, there have also been tales of the personal journeys of some of the participants and the release that they experienced as a result of letting go of hatred and desires for revenge.
These outcomes reflect two aspects of mercy, namely understanding and taking responsibility.
Let us take a step back and explore the spiritual meaning of forgiveness. Assume that life if eternal, that our souls are eternal, and that we incarnate into this life with a purpose. This life purpose forms a central theme that runs throughout our live on earth, and the theme is repeated until we understand. This may even mean that we need to return for another incarnation before we understand.
We can only have learning experiences as a result of our interaction with other people. Does this interaction simply happen? No. We contract with these people before they incarnate that they will help us to learn what we need to learn. These contracts include experiences that are as ugly as war and rape and murder, and they are not necessarily limited to a single lifetime.
Jesus is quoted in Mat. 5:38-39 as having said “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you . . . whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Is this because we are supposed to be spineless nincompoops that must simply accept abuse? No, of course not. I am sure Jesus meant that we would have to go through the same experience again and again until we understand what it is that we have to learn about ourselves (like eventually standing up to bullies or having serial marriages before finding happiness). Having revenge does not reflect any understanding – it simply reflects a lack of awareness of our spirit.
To be continued
First printed in The If Journal volume 124
Please leave a comment if you feel inspired.
Love and Light
Elsabe
