I wonder how people wronged by systemic injustice learn to forgive those oppressors, if they do. Like what should they do: seek resolution with the leader(s) of those guilty associations? Are the members of the group also held culpable? Make the reconciliation private, or announce publicly for the benefit of a group of victims?
Though terrible in scope and degree of destruction, institutional wrongdoing is biblically accounted for: the fall of humanity logically necessitates the fall of institutions. This simple fact is important but not always fully recognized.
So what of forgiving these institutions? Granted, different situations will require different approaches. Putting my counseling hat on, an ideal way would be personal and face-to-face, all parties acknowledging the fault committed and the appropriate restitution. This way, the victim(s)’s hearts aren’t prolongingly hardened against the one-dimensional oppressor in their mind. Indeed, the temptation to objectify institutions into cold caricatures explains why activism, with all its merits and drawbacks, can be so impassioned.
But wrongs need to be made public and acknowledged, right? Companies or countries need to be genuinely grieved by their actions! I don’t think this point can be overstated. Special committees and tribunals an apology does not make. Germany enjoys a reputation for being a leading, liberal democracy with most of its citizens deeply remorseful of WWII. In contrast, public opinions from Japanese citizens and their leaders don’t seem to display this remorse, and so would-be partners in the region will always hold this grudge.
What about suffering that is so complex and multifaceted? Who apologizes for the 2008 financial crisis? Partial apologies have been submitted by lenders, Fannie, Freddie, Congress, and Greenspan, but the blame really gets distributed widely, and so does the lingering suffering. And when the restitution consists of propping up powerful multinational companies instead of consumer-friendly mortgage relief policies (not that that was completely wrong
but the optics weren’t good), one easily sees why trust and confidence in our institutions are at a record-low.
Going back to my original questions of how to reconcile/vindicate (the mechanics)…that’s intimidating in itself. There’s the actual harm inflicted, but then seeking justice creates another burden. Oppressed people don’t have the capital or leverage to fight their case effectively; they can’t afford to split time being an activist/self-lawyer and supporting themselves. My head hurts, but there appears to be no shortage of need for prayer.
EDIT: I just remembered my main impetus for writing this came from trying to understand why any black person would want to be in my denomination given the extremely racist origins (
background information). That goes for a lot of things..
public housing, police and criminal justice, education, media and entertainment, the list goes on and on… and I wonder just how they go on living normal lives when everything is perpetual PTSD. The courage of black people astounds me.
