On January 22 in 1999, a mother watched as her husband and two young sons were burned alive inside a car. Gladys Staines saw her loved ones lose their struggle for life at the clutches of Bajrandal activists in India. Days later standing over her husband and sons graves' she was asked how she was feeling, and this is what she said.
"I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness because forgiveness brings healing and our land needs heeling from hatred and violence."
Not only did this shock me, but it also made me think on a global scale do we react like Staines or do we think the war on terror is justified because of horrors like this? I tend to believe or maybe want to believe that in light of horrific situations like Staines's and thousands more war is the lesser of the two evils. Because in a perfect world pacifism might be feasible, but the past has proven war is seemingly unavoidable. So, wether Staines new it or not she was showing so many who think the answer is to jump into combat that forgiveness is the most powerful weapon in the face of terrorists, who will die for what they believe in no matter how extreme.
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