Article May 5, 2003 Issue

Bali survivors recover—without revenge

By Beverly Goldsmith

How does someone cope with wrongful imprisonment, torture, or terrible injury? How do you go on with your life when you've suffered a crippling blow? These are questions I've been thinking about in the light of news reports coming out of Iraq, Zimbabwe, and North Korea. Citizens of these countries have been, or continue to be, treated harshly. With so much suffering, can people recover from tragic circumstances and go on with their lives? I found inspiring answers on a recent 60 Minutes television program.

When the program was aired in Australia, people around the country were holding memorial services for the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place on the Indonesian Island of Bali in October 2002. Although many people were killed when the two powerful bombs were detonated at a popular tourist nightclub, this TV program chose to speak with a group who survived the tragedy.

The opening moments of the interview showed these young men and women talking to each other. They looked happy and carefree. Then the camera revealed the special body suits they wore. We saw the serious burns they had sustained in the blasts six months earlier. We saw that a young woman had lost an arm. A young man now had only one leg.