As I read about and listen to more governments apologize for attrocities of past generations I am left wondering what good is the effort, particularly when those who were subjected to the horrendous treatments are no longer with us. Even those who still live with the memories of what they were forced to endure won't be cured by the words of politicians. Healing of that type comes from within.
When I think about the amount of anger that churns inside so many who are seeking some sort of retribution, I can only feel sad for them because they are allowing their past to contaminate their present and their future.
Healing comes from within. It comes from letting go of the things that continue to harm us and focussing on the things that will allow us to deal with the Impacts of our past and influence our world to help prevent future attrocities.
I am not suggesting that anyone forget what has happened, remembering should be one of the driving forces that permit us to see the wrong that is still going on in our world, wrongs that our actions can help address. A culture of being a victim will not help. We are all victims of some sort.
And I am not suggesting the 'moving on' is easy. Like any grief, one must work to accept the new reality. No amount of wailing or rending of clothes is going to bring back a loved one. No amount of compensation or world leader words will fix what was broken. No amount of cooling will unbake a loaf of bread. The healing comes from within.
Just as we all have been victimized, we have all contributed to actions that have victimized others. Whether our contribution is through direct action, passive action, or a failure to act against an aggressor, each of us bears a responsibility for the events going on in our world.
Somewhere in each of our pasts, our ancestors did some horrible things to others. We cannot change that, but we can make every effort to help influence our descendants to better, more positive choices and to teach them that the healing must come from within.