I was born in the late 80s in the USA, so I know almost nothing about the history of violence in Ireland. This article is both educational and meaning-full.
In that moment, an “enemy” began to assume a human face. I struggle, really, with the words to describe the experience.
Wow. That is exactly what Arjuna experiences on the battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita.
There is, definitely, such a thing as good and evil. There has to be. We know it intuitively and we feel it in our hearts, souls and bodies. And since we are all one, it must also be true that good and evil exists within us all. In this context, it seems obvious that we should reject judgment/punishment and focus our energies on compassion, forgiveness and empathy. Even the worst people -- people who kill people -- aren't "pure evil."
We're all just... trying. I guess. I dunno. Heavy stuff. Worth thinking about.
Stories like this I would dare say are the Most Important. When we can confront the humanity in the darkest corners of the soul and see/exist/sit with the reflection sans judgement - supremacist/murderer/rapist/child molestor. Not easy. Finding the spaces of shared trauma not only within confines of groups of victims; also victims and abusers/killers. Powerful and complex. (Complexities that make Michaela Cole’s I May Destroy You so,so,so worthy of all the acclaim).
This read also makes me think of the film - The Forgiven: “ During his life sentence in post-apartheid South Africa, brutal murderer Piet Blomfield seeks redemption through meetings with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.”
Update (3/27/2021):
Even the indie film, My Friend Dahmer, managed to pull this off, as well. While remaining haunting and disturbing the film humanizes Dahmer without sensationalism and causes the viewer to sit with the social/psychological/circumstantial aspects which culminated prior to the monstrous nightmare chapters.
Also, while on a film kick here, the 2002 documentary-style re-enactment film, Sunday Bloody Sunday, deals with the Derry violence that kicked the set of cause and effects off.
I was born in the late 80s in the USA, so I know almost nothing about the history of violence in Ireland. This article is both educational and meaning-full.
Wow. That is exactly what Arjuna experiences on the battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita.
There is, definitely, such a thing as good and evil. There has to be. We know it intuitively and we feel it in our hearts, souls and bodies. And since we are all one, it must also be true that good and evil exists within us all. In this context, it seems obvious that we should reject judgment/punishment and focus our energies on compassion, forgiveness and empathy. Even the worst people -- people who kill people -- aren't "pure evil."
We're all just... trying. I guess. I dunno. Heavy stuff. Worth thinking about.
Bhagavad Gita - another need to read.
Stories like this I would dare say are the Most Important. When we can confront the humanity in the darkest corners of the soul and see/exist/sit with the reflection sans judgement - supremacist/murderer/rapist/child molestor. Not easy. Finding the spaces of shared trauma not only within confines of groups of victims; also victims and abusers/killers. Powerful and complex. (Complexities that make Michaela Cole’s I May Destroy You so,so,so worthy of all the acclaim).
This read also makes me think of the film - The Forgiven: “ During his life sentence in post-apartheid South Africa, brutal murderer Piet Blomfield seeks redemption through meetings with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.”
Even the indie film, My Friend Dahmer, managed to pull this off, as well. While remaining haunting and disturbing the film humanizes Dahmer without sensationalism and causes the viewer to sit with the social/psychological/circumstantial aspects which culminated prior to the monstrous nightmare chapters.
“Social/psychological/circumstantial implications...”
Also, while on a film kick here, the 2002 documentary-style re-enactment film, Sunday Bloody Sunday, deals with the Derry violence that kicked the set of cause and effects off.
Actually, it is just called Bloody Sunday.