Character-in-Action shows forgiveness to those who have wronged us in some way, and many of us are willing to forgive to a point. I wonder, though, how many of us are ready to exercise the kind of forgiveness shown in this story.
Everyone who is old enough to follow the news is aware that the Israelis and Palestinians have been at war, officially or unofficially, for many years. In that war, Jenin City is a hot spot. It is an area that sees much violence. This story from Jenin City was not violent at its beginning, though. It began on November 3 of this year with several young Palestinian boys celebrating one of Islam’s holiest days. Twelve-year old Ahmed and his friends were playing with plastic, toy rifles.
Suddenly, Israeli soldiers in the midst of a shootout spotted the boys and their rifles. In a land where young Palestinian boy do take up arms against the Israelis, it was natural for the soldiers to think the boys were militants. Reacting quickly, the Israeli soldiers fired on the boys. Too late, they realized their mistake. The boys were caught in crossfire. The Israeli soldiers called for an ambulance and rushed Ahmed to a nearby Israeli hospital in Haifa. There, the twelve-year old lay for two days before dying on November 5.
Our world is full of people who would have reacted to their son’s death with outrage; people who would have taken the law into their own hands, if need be, to punish or kill the soldiers who caused the boy’s death.
Ahmed’s parents, however, reached into the list of character traits they had built into their lives, and exercised forgiveness. They decided to donate their son’s healthy young organs to Israelis. They freely offered what little remained of their beloved son to save lives in the enemy nation.
Within a short time, Ahmed’s heart began to beat in the body of a twelve-year old Israeli girl – a girl who had waited five years for a heart, and seemed doomed to die without it. His lungs began processing air for a fourteen-year old Israeli girl with cystic fibrosis. Ahmed’s liver gave new hope to both a 58-year old Israeli woman and a seven-month old Israeli baby girl. A four-year old Israeli girl received one kidney – a five-year old Israeli boy received the other. The forgiveness shown by these parents changed the death of one beloved son into life for six Israelis.
Why did these parents make such a gesture? To that question from a BBC reporter, Ahmed’s father replied, “It was to give a symbol of peace so that people could live together. Everyone knows that the olive branch is a symbol of peace, so instead of an olive branch, I have sown the seeds of my son’s organs inside the children of Israelis.”
Somehow, while his heart was weeping for his lost son, this Palestinian father managed to forgive enough to share life with Israeli people.
When we exercise forgiveness, we give up our right to demand punishment of the person or persons who wronged us. Instead, we help those who wronged us. So far as I can learn, Ahmed’s parents did that and more.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?