Is reconciliation possible?

Mike Henderson has returned from Africa.
It is his 19th mission to the Dark Continent.
Mike is a former chemical engineer.
Today he is a Methodist minister.

During apartheid, Mike was smuggled into Soweto.
That was a black area South Africa set up.
Blacks and whites were separated by law.
Mike was illegally in Soweto.
He met inmates from Robben Island Prison.
They had been incarcerated with Nelson Mandela.
A former inmate said he knew they would be freed.
He just did not know how long it would take.
In prison, he committed to reconciliation.
He wouldn’t do to others what was done to him.
That takes a strong faith to take such a pledge.
Particularly after generations of apartheid.

I asked Mike his thoughts on reconciliation today.
Is it possible to reconcile ourselves with jihadists?
With people who envy, hate and would kill us?
Who believe it is Allah’s will that they destroy us?
Or to drag us back into the 17th Century with them?
These are questions for us in the wake of 9-11.
We have had 10 years to think about 9-11’s meaning.
I don’t know what you’ve learned but I’m interested.
Please comment at Post a Comment below.

The power of forgiveness

Our friend Michael Aun is more eloquent than he realizes.
He sent along these thoughts about love:
While we have it, we should love it and care for it.
Fix it when it is broken and heal it when it is sick.
Do it for marriage and children with bad report cards.
Dogs with bad hips and aging parents and grandparents.
Keep them because they are worth it and we are worth it.
Some things we keep - like a sister-in-law after divorce.
Some people make us happy, no matter what.
To forgive is the most rewarding thing one can do.
Forgive others - if for no other reason than selfish reasons.
“Do it for yourself if not for them.”
Michael’s words came back to me watching “Invictus”.
The movie stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.
Mandela came out of prison after 30 years.
His first action was to forgive those who put him there.
His next move was to bring his country together.

One way was to inspire a white rugby team to win.
Not just games but the World Cup in South Africa.
It was his way to bring a racially divided country together.
Improbable as it seemed, the South African team won.
Forgiveness and reconcilation were the keys to solidarity.
Michael is one of our new book’s co-authors.
For more about this important new book email me.
It contains 22 entrepreneurs’ success secrets.

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