Slippery forgiveness

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is reported to have been killed. The mastermind of the Iraqi beheadings may be no more. On this momentous occasion, I listened to the father of one of his victims in a radio interview, talking about his feelings over the announcement.

Michael Berg talked about the death of his son, and his pain over having to endure such a horrible experience. He claimed to have forgiven Zarqawi for his inhumane act.

I was intrigued. Here was a man who did not claim a religion, who claimed to forgive and hold no grudges. He sounded sincere and I was impressed. He was then asked about policies and the war in Iraq. Michael’s voice morphed from gentle, soothing and calm, to acidic, and harsh. He stated that he holds George Bush personally responsible for the death of his son. The tone held through the rest of the interview.

Forgiveness is like a slippery eel. We can convince ourselves that we have forgiven, that we are moving on with our lives. The sad reality is that like a person forgetting to zip their pants before going out in public, others see and are embarrassed to point out the neglect. We may say we are forgiving, but we may be more transparent that we realize.