Granting a pardon to Richard Nixon cost Gerald Ford re-election to the presidency. How much more proof do we need that forgiveness is unpopular? Yes, it was admired at his funeral today; but it took three decades and Ford’s death for the climate to change to forgive Ford for forgiving! That is assuming that his funeral is a mirror reflection of the consciousness of our country, or at least that the leadership in Ford’s funeral will effect such a change in the collective mindset of our culture.
Our world of one war after another is based on power, control, and revenge. Violence and entertainment are synonymous in our culture when we see what is popular on the movie and television screens. Yet the violence that is forced upon innocent children is shrouded in secrecy. Child abuse brings out helplessness in both the victims and in the ones who suspect child abuse but don’t dare address the issue.
With the unpopularity of forgiveness, is it any wonder, then, that a book called Forgiveness and Child Abuse: Would YOU Forgive? is currently not yet being recognized and acknowledged for the true gem that it is? Who wants to forgive “the unforgivable?” Doesn’t the title sound preposterous? Forgiveness coupled with child abuse. It is an oxymoron… a preposterous concept for moronic minds! Is that your first reaction to Lois Einhorn’s book (www.loiseinhorn.com)?
We have prisons bulging at the seams with ever-increasing recidivism rates. “In a 15 State study, over two-thirds of released prisoners were rearrested within three years” - this is the title of an article put out by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. People, generally speaking, don’t change - at least not very much.
It is my belief that we change directly proportional to the degree that we forgive ourselves for the ways we have misbehaved and for the self-sabotaging beliefs that have led us into our transgressions in the first place. Recognizing the beliefs underlying our transgressions is often a difficult task. We play games, delude ourselves, rationalize our behaviors, and hold on tight to our justifications. And it all begins with ourselves. Until we create helpful beliefs and forgive ourselves, forgiving others is a futile task.
Gerald Ford must have had a great deal of self-forgiveness in his soul to be able to pardon Nixon in the face of the unpopularity of such an action.
Only some of the contributors in Lois Einhorn’s book, Forgiveness and Child Abuse (www.loiseinhorn.com), recommended she forgive her parents for their horrific acts. Everyone concurred she should forgive herself. That was a given. She was just a little girl… but to forgive adults who deliberately abused a little girl in such horrific ways! It belies comprehension. That is even more preposterous than pardoning Nixon in many people’s minds. He manipulated and lied; but Watergate had nothing to do with physically, sexually, and psychologically torturing innocent little children.
We generally leave forgiveness to people like Gandhi, Buddha, Jesus, and our spiritual leaders; but here we have a man, Gerald Ford - an athletic football player, a military man, a former president of the United States - get recognized at his funeral for his unpopular act of pardoning Nixon. Starting our New Year of 2007 with the funeral of a former president, are we ripe for a change in the consciousness of our people? Are we ready to look at the topic of forgiveness in a new light now?
There are as many viewpoints as there are people. Lois Einhorn (loiseinhorn@loiseinhorn.com) is an extraordinarily brave woman. She not only quests for ever-deepening levels of forgiveness in her soul, but she is telling her story publicly to promote further healing in our world. However, she did not always have forgiveness as a goal. That came about as a result of her healing and receiving responses from many famous people when she asked them what they would do. Would they forgive their parents or themselves if they were ritualistically abused as children.
Her 53 contributors, many famous, include Dr. Patch Adams, Ed Asner, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Laura Davis, Albert Ellis, Paul Ferrini, Lynne Finney, Arun Gandhi, Linda Hogan Derrick Jensen, Mary Elizabeth King, Dr. Sammy Lee, Robert Muller, Daniel Quinn, Pete Seeger, Dr. Bernie Siegel, Gerry Spence, Mike Thaler, Kurt Waldheim, Kenneth Wapnick, and many more. As a result of her writing this book, she was awarded as the 2004 Heroine of Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Peace by the World Forgiveness Alliance (www.forgivenessday.org).
Gerald Ford is no longer with us, but his legacy is reputed to be one of a good man. Lois Einhorn’s parents are also deceased, and that is what gave Lois the freedom to deal with the ghosts of her past. In each scenario, forgiveness is a theme.
After you read her book, which you may get through her publisher at www.rdrpublishers.com or if you want an autographed copy, through Lois at www.loiseinhorn.com, you may feel compelled to write to Lois at loiseinhorn@loiseinhorn.com and tell her your story and/or your response to her questions. You don’t need to feel alone anymore.
© Cleone Lyvonne, January 2007 - cleonelyvonne@yahoo.com.
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