Forgiveness – a Story and a Project -

by Mary K. Clark.

Revenge? Forgiveness? Busyness? Paul Vallely suggests that there is more involved in forgiveness than we might think. He shares with us the revealing story of Eric Lomax who recently passed away, in an article entitled, The ultimate heroism is forgiving the enemy. (This site does take a moment or two to load.)

This story is about two human beings involved in World War II, one a prisoner of war and the other a man who brutally tortured him. Vallely writes:

We tell three stories about how a human being can respond to barbarity. One is the tragedy of revenge. One offers the hope of forgiveness. And one diverts itself with furious activity in an attempt to forget. But the story of Eric Lomax refuses to conform neatly to such templates.

Lomax, who died on Monday aged 93, was one of thousands of British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in 1942 and forced to build the 418-mile railway to Burma.

. . . It took [Lomax] 50 years to exorcise his demons. Few of us have the strength for that.

Eric Lomax’s story, in his own words is found on a remarkable UK site called The Forgiveness Project. This site is a wonderful resource replete with a diverse group of written stories on the topic of forgiveness, some with unexpected endings.

What stories or other resources have you connected with forgiveness, along your journey, that might be a resource for others?

– Mary