Forgiveness

I'm still on a movie watching kick.   This weekend I caught Forgiving Dr. Mengele which is a documentary about Auschwitz survivor Eva Kor.  Eva and her twin sister were unwillingly subjected to Dr. Mengele's research while imprisoned at Auschwitz.   This was a fascinating story.  A version of events that I had never heard before.  It is both sickening and inspiring.

Obviously, the premise of this story is forgiveness.  Eva is a remarkable woman and has found it within herself to forgive the Nazi's for what they did both to her and her family.  The catch is that not everyone agrees with Eva's position.  Many other Auschwitz survivors are furious at Eva's position.  One even said that she could never forgive and she would never be happy.  That just blew me away.  To me, she is letting the Nazi's continue to rule her life.  She's letting them win.  Let it go!

Eva describes forgiveness as letting that part of her life go.  She is healing her soul (how very Oprah-esque!).  I think this woman has got it right!  I think many people (including myself sometimes) view forgiveness as a way of excusing the offensive behavior.  What Eva is saying is not that she excuses the behavior, but rather that she refuses to let those incidents have control over her life.  Forgiveness sets her free from those chains and allows her to live.  Will she ever forget the Holocaust?  Of course not.  Will she ever feel that what happened was in any way OK?  Absolutely not.  But kudos to this badass woman for saying hey, you imprisoned me once, you will not imprison me again! 

I think everyone should see this movie.  It's a great story of strength, determination and of course, forgiveness.  It's also a great reminder that many of the things in our lives are pretty trivial compared to the bigger picture.