Tout Est Pardonne
"All is forgiven"
A more beautiful and strong message of defiance I cannot imagine. Using forgiveness in the face of terror is possibly the only weapon that can work.
This oddly makes me reflect on my own understanding of the biblical story of Job. I'll spare you the elaboration, but a short inaccurate summary is in order. Job was devout to God, wealthy, had many strong sons and a wonderful wife. The devil made a wager with God, betting that if God took his good blessings away then Job would curse God’s name. His theory was that Job’s praising of God was only due to his fortunes.
God took everything from Job, one after the other. His animals fell ill. His family deceased. His properties made bare. He was inflicted with disease. At every loss Job continued to praise his Lord. The devil lost his bet.
My lesson from this story is this: Stay true to yourself, always. Hold your values highest when the world is bad.
If Job cursed God, nothing would have changed for him. His family was gone. He was on deaths door. Job would have given up the last thing of value he had: his identity.
Charlie Hedbo is holding true to their beliefs here. They are flexing their belief in free speech. And they are telling their countrymen how to celebrate the deceased: by forgiving the tyrants.
A more beautiful and strong message of defiance I cannot imagine. Using forgiveness in the face of terror is possibly the only weapon that can work.
This oddly makes me reflect on my own understanding of the biblical story of Job. I'll spare you the elaboration, but a short inaccurate summary is in order. Job was devout to God, wealthy, had many strong sons and a wonderful wife. The devil made a wager with God, betting that if God took his good blessings away then Job would curse God’s name. His theory was that Job’s praising of God was only due to his fortunes.
God took everything from Job, one after the other. His animals fell ill. His family deceased. His properties made bare. He was inflicted with disease. At every loss Job continued to praise his Lord. The devil lost his bet.
My lesson from this story is this: Stay true to yourself, always. Hold your values highest when the world is bad.
If Job cursed God, nothing would have changed for him. His family was gone. He was on deaths door. Job would have given up the last thing of value he had: his identity.
Charlie Hedbo is holding true to their beliefs here. They are flexing their belief in free speech. And they are telling their countrymen how to celebrate the deceased: by forgiving the tyrants.