Should criminals be shown mercy? 3
29th Jul 2009
Hello lovely people
Forgiveness is not a sanctimonious withholding of judgement. Forgiveness is about introspection and meditation and achieving that moment of understanding and gratitude that brings tears to our eyes, where the victim can reach out to the perpetrator or the perpetrator can reach out to the victim and say “thank you for being the perfect teacher for this life”. That is what some of the victims at the TRC experienced and expressed.
Does this mean that people can harm others and get away with it simply because they are forgiven? Of course not. There is a difference between “an eye for an eye” and “do unto others what you want done until yourself”. People that harm others are here to learn their own lessons, which include taking responsibility for their actions. There is a lack of balance when the focus is on how to ensure that perpetrators get punished for their actions, because such a focus is often based on revenge and resentment. A murderer or rapist should have the same opportunity for introspection and spiritual discovery than their victims. They also came to this earth to play their part and to grow to a better understanding of their actions.
This is where mercy comes in. Does mercy mean letting people off the hook when they have committed crimes? Certainly not. Mercy means helping the perpetrators to understand themselves and their actions.
For example, if a teenager with a rich parent commits a crime that is punishable by a fine, how about exchanging the fine with community service that relates to the crime? The teenager would not learn anything if the parent pays the fine, but they would learn a lot about themselves by doing appropriate community service.
That is mercy. That is also taking responsibility for all our actions, whether our actions result in us becoming a victim or a perpetrator. True forgiveness brings us closer to Love.
First printed in The If Journal volume 124
Please leave a comment if you feel inspired.
Love and Light
Elsabe
