Forgiveness is biggest revenge, says writer
sharjah — Hollywood might show us that the good guys always triumph in the end, and that the bad guys will always get their comeuppance.
However, reality is starkly different, and many times individuals will get away with their bad deeds, while good people suffer for it. However, there are cases where artistic expression has proven to be a platform through which individuals can promote peace, experts at the Sharjah International Book Fair said.
Speaking on a panel session, Ryan Lobo, Indian photographer and filmmaker, and author of Mr Iyer Goes to War, spoke about how he decided to cover the Liberian civil war and document one warlord’s journey of redemption. Lobo spoke about how it is hard to imagine anyone forgiving a person who has brought them so much pain through unspeakable acts, but that many of the victims of the warlord’s acts had done just that.
“Many of the people just seemed tired and willing to move on from all that had happened,” he said, while showcasing his pictures taken during the warlord’s quest for redemption. “If moving on from what had happened involved forgiving the person, then so be it. One thing
One thing that I noticed was that when the perpetrator admitted to committing the horrible deeds, then it was easier for people to forgive him.”
Ryan Lobo, Indian filmmaker
that I noticed was that when the perpetrator admitted to committing the horrible deeds, then it was easier for people to forgive him.”
Similarly, Turkish author Burhan Sonmez, who worked as a lawyer in Turkey before moving to the UK for treatment after an assassination attempt, said that it is very easy to talk about forgiveness, but very hard to actually grant it. However, he also noted that forgiveness is the biggest revenge for many individuals.
“I believe that we have something bigger in our hearts than our personality,” he said. “Sometimes, this just comes out and you feel like it is a whole other person who has emerged from your heart.”
Sonmez, who became a writer and returned to Turkey 10 years after the assassination attempt, said that art allows individuals to live a different phase of life, and that this is something that is needed when a writer picks up a pen.
rohma@khaleejtimes.com