I recall watching the film Forgiving Dr. Mengele where one of his victims had forgiven him for medically mutilating her while in a Nazi concentration camp. I don't recall if her sister was experimented(?) with as well but the main character of the documentary certainly was. I understand the concept of forgiveness because if one holds onto someone else's wrongdoing it can eat you up like a cancer. Still, upon viewing that film I though What The Fuck?? How can this woman actually forgive this Nazi bastard? I certainly wouldn't. It all reminds me of evening the score. Lets say a Palestinian blows him or herself up at a bus stop, then, the Israeli army retaliates. Or, vice versa. It's never ending. Then there's Republican assholes like George W Bush and Dick Cheney who not only retaliate but commit acts of treason and start never ending wars in the name of justice and in the name of an eye for an eye in the end only to create factions such as ISIS while lining their pockets with billions of dollars at the cost of countless lives and The American tax dollar.
I'm reminded of my aunt Gisela, who lost her 1st husband and chid during the war, then, coming here, marrying my fathers' only surviving brother and then raising a new family of her own. Not once did she mention the autricities of WWII and The Nazis but she was also able to make fun of them with me. Once we even making fun of anti-Semitism as a whole while discussing the possible death of Jesus Christ and then answering my question that if The Jews had a hand on Christ's death, well, they certainly did get even! LOL! Humor certainly is a gift and being able to make fun of hardships is the key to life as far as I'm concerned. In some ways my aunt had that.
Last month some gun loving Republican hater opened fire and killed 9 people while the were praying in their house of worship in South Carolina. Now, I'm not a fan of organized religion but what crime did these people commit for them to be senselessly murdered? A state where those morons still "proudly" display a confederate flag! PALEEZE. Upon the arrest of the suspect and then hearing what he said during his interrogation I didn't feel angry but I felt a true sense of pity on this moron. He said that "he almost didn't do it because the people were so nice!" Why couldn't he for that one moment realize that all of his hatred is/was wrong and turn a new leaf? It seems like he may have been so damn close! Can you imagine the revelation that might have been for him? Sadly, that wasn't to be but I wonder if he is/was somehow capable of that? Now I"m not the most politically correct person on the world. On occasion I may crack an off color joke about gays, lesbians, blacks. Arabs and even my own Jewish faith. None of it is meant to cause any harm. It's just in fun and I'm a jokester unlike any other. But it's sad to me that this imbecile will never get to know, or never get to celebrate, one's culture other than his own which apparently is nothing but a bunch of brainwashing filled with hate.
While watching and reading about the response of both the surviving members of that congregation, their families and the people of South Carolina "I am shocked". I am shocked at their overall attitude. An attitude of pure love, understanding and forgiveness. South Carolina being a state that I never thought I'd want to visit nor be near, but, here I'm seeing and hearing not words of revenge but amazing courageous words of forgiveness and the "support" of an entire populous. And, these aren't the words of doctors, theologians, or degreed people of the highest order. These are the voices and actions of the people in general. I don't know how or why but they seem to possess both compassion and intellect that I can't say I'm used to seeing. I don't know if it's from their families, their houses of worship, in their drinking water or just in their veins but they seem to be a special people that I can certainly learn from. They're also asking the right questions and taking care of one another. That's the way it's supposed to be!