Forgiveness and Peace

As I write this first “Welcome” blog post from my hotel room, it seems only fitting that I’m in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, as that’s what this blog is all about, creating unity and brotherly love in the world.

Philly has certainly lived up to its name as everywhere I turn I see smiling, friendly faces. It’s a city of great diversity, with more than 150 neighborhoods within its city limit. Philly is a melting pot of every color, every religion, and every political view, but somehow it works. From my observance, it seems as though the folks in Philly not only accept one another but they go a step further and honor each other as well.

I believe that’s the key to getting along and living in a happy environment, honoring each other. There are over 6 billion on this Earth with different nationalities, customs, and ways of living but when you get right down to it, don’t we all have the same basic needs and wants? We all want to feel safe and secure, with a roof over our heads and food on the table. We all want to be part of a family, loved and accepted. We all want to give our kids a better life, and see our kids go further than we did.

I was in my 20’s when I first heard the term “Namaste”. In the old newsreels that played in movie theaters in days gone by, you would always see Gandhi bowing to someone or other, hands folded together as in prayer.

Albert Einstein was fascinated by this and wrote a letter to Gandhi asking what it meant. Gandhi answered, “It is Namaste”, which means “the God in me sees and honors the God in you, and when we are both in that place, we are One”. When I heard that definition the first time, it gave me goose bumps of joy to realize that there were others who felt the same way as I did and had a passion to see the world live in peace and harmony.

So, that is what this blog is all about. I have a dream of one day living in a global community that practices the principles of Brotherly Love, Peace, and Goodwill. I believe that starts by seeing the magnificence that exists within each and every person and about letting go of judgment and separatism, and instead recognizing that we are all Children under One Divine Presence and are all members of one global family. It doesn’t matter what religion you practice, if you have one at all….instead, it’s about honoring one another and celebrating the beautiful tapestry that is called the human race.

Guest Post by John L. Knapp

The vast anguish of nations and individuals alike has never been distant from my thoughts and prayers. I often ponder and reflect on the persistent question: Is it possible to restore the moral and social order subjected to such hostility? My rational conviction insures me that the upset order cannot be wholly restored without the union of justice with forgiveness. Thus, the mainstay of true peace is justice combined with that form of love which is forgiveness.

But in our current circumstances, can we speak of justice and forgiveness as the foundation and condition of peace? Yes, we can and we must, no matter how hard this may be. Yet forgiveness is the converse of resentment, not of justice; when in fact, true peace is the work of justice. Here is what Saint Augustine had to say about this, “… that the peace which can and must be built in this world is the peace of right order or the tranquility of order.” Consequently, true peace is the fruit of justice that ensures the moral virtue and legal assurance that brings forth full respect for rights and responsibilities, and the just division of benefits and burdens. But because human justice is always frail and imperfect; it must embrace and be fulfilled by the forgiveness which heals and mends distressed human relations from their very foundations.

This is true in a personal level or on a broader, even international scale. Forgiveness is not at all opposed to justice; forgiveness was never meant to ignore the need to right the wrong done. It is rather the breadth of justice, leading to that tranquility of order which is a great deal more than a temporary ending of aggression; it involves the deepest healing of the wounds which exist in humanity. Justice and forgiveness work together to provide such healing. Thus, forgiveness and peace offers all humanity the opportunity to reflect upon the demands of justice and the call to forgiveness in the face of the weighty problems which presently afflict our world today.