Article December 3, 2001 Issue

To break the chain of hate

Rajmohan Gandhi contributes to a book on forgiveness.

By Kim Shippey

The unspeakable events of September 11, 2001, changed the flavor of certain words," writes Indian scholar and political commentator Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, in the foreward to the Second Edition of Michael Henderson's 1999 book Forgiveness: Breaking the Chain of Hate (Book Partners), published a few days ago.

"The concepts of revenge and vengeance suddenly became more palatable," Gandhi writes, "while the opposite happened to words like healing and reconciliation. Suspicion is no longer an unworthy sentiment, and hardness no more an unpleasant quality. The immensity of this tragedy has given to September 11 a unique place in the annals of callousness."

As he considers this collection of real-life stories demonstrating how forgiveness can bring peace, reconciliation, and hope to the lives of people who have been wronged, Gandhi suggests that in today's altered circumstances, the stories offer evidence that "the stuff of forgiveness is sterner than suspected. It does not condone evil, and evil, on its part, cannot extinguish the power of forgiveness. . . .

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