Freedom in Forgiveness

Forgiving Dr.Mengele was challenging in a variety of ways. The holocaust can be a heavy subject to say the least. Kidnapping people, including children, and then roasting them to death because their not your idea of the ideal race is almost unforgivable. Today injustices are occurring on a global scale, perhaps not to this dramatic magnitude, but I believe in the future you will here of other stories with similarities of injustice, just the same you will be moved, and left with the question, why? Why and how did this happen. What can we do to prevent this from happening again? What we see here is a powerful movement by a single individual who experienced unimaginable, relentless torture, but by sole determination of single survivor who chose not to forget, but to personally forgive the men responsible, explain her position, and attempt to relate her process of forgiveness, and the power behind forgiveness.  

This is a story that should be told. The holocaust was more than real. As Americans we sometimes feel depressed, or suppressed, or oppressed or whatever, but you tell me how bad you feel after watching this documentary. Most know not of real cruelty, and not to this magnitude. Eva Mozes Kor was chosen specifically to endure repeated medical experimentation along with her twin sister, Miriam, by the then death monster, Dr. Joseph Mengele. Dr. Mengele purpose, in my interpretation, was to take subjects, twins in this case, and attempt to see how he could alter the specific group by injections of chemical combinations, see the reactions, document findings, and leave subjects for dead. The experiments often proved to be fatal, Mendele was just interested in human life, just his crazes experiments and how they could further his cause. He was given high authority at the camp to perform such exercises, and so he ran free to ruin lives in an indescribable fashion. Out of the twins, Eva specifically vowed to not die, she refused, this was not an option for her, and she needed to be their for her sister.

Eva and her sister, unlike many, survived the nightmare. They were freed by the soviets after nine months, close to a year after being held captive. The camp had a profound life long effect on the girls, but after being released and set free, the young girls tried to move on with their lives. Eva fell in love with a fellow survivor, married and had two kids. No time to really reflect on her past, or maybe not wanting to deal with such tragedy, she raised a family and came to find a life as close to normal as she could find. Eva later in life decided that the weight of memories and what happened in those camps was to heavy a burden to carry. She wanted to forgive the doctor responsible, and reached out to people who were their at the time, at the same time she was. Eva’s daughter described her mother as unhesitant. She was going up against everyone at this point. Fellow survivors, scholars, people today wanting to preserve the memory of the holocaust. Some felt like this was not Eva’s place to forgive, and others shook their head in disbelief, attesting that in no way did this one individual have any right to move forward with forgiveness, especially in the case of non survivors that were unable to speak for themselves.

To me, this is where the real story begins, a story of extreme survival, and extreme forgiveness. Against all odds, not only surviving the time, but building a life after such unthinkable acts of violence and violation. Treated like a worthless insect for experiments only, and overcoming at all cost. This is Eva’s story of triumph over tragedy, and this was her message. She met with one particular leader, who she made amends with, and even visited the camps with. Eva turned a cruel absolute nightmare into a story of survival, forgiveness, and sharing the hope that she found through forgiveness. There is now a museum like area set up thanks to Eva’s dedication to spreading her story; it’s implications, and how to perhaps cope with devastating life circumstances of this magnitude. She gives speeches and talks around the world, and she has created a legacy that will live on, and hopefully a message that will continue to resonate for years to come.

Pictures say a thousand words, and I am grateful that we have these as a reminder. This unthinkable, insufferable story is in all fact true, and as true as the act of relentless torture, is the supreme act of forgiveness. As difficult as forgiveness maybe, the payoff is, at least according to Eva, the ultimate freedom. Amnesty at its best is life changing. Pain occurs in many ways, but to hold pain and carry pain can be the biggest mistake of someone’s life. Think about your life, your burdens, and imagine the amount of weight that could possibly be lifted by shifting your thoughts, your mind, and your heart in the direction of forgives. This story inspires yes, but more importantly is the lesson. When you learn to truly let go, you learn what it feels to be truly free.