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Forgive and Forget—Is It Possible?

MORE than half a century has passed since the end of World War II, in 1945. That global war was by far the most savage and costly war in all human history.

World War II lasted six years and took the lives of about 50 million people, including civilians. Countless others were maimed physically, mentally, and emotionally. For many who experienced those calamitous war years, the painful memories of atrocities committed and of loved ones lost have still not healed.

There are the memories of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis in the Holocaust, with its millions of innocent victims slaughtered. In both Europe and Asia, many atrocities were committed by invading armies, which murdered, raped, pillaged, and terrorized civilians. Then, too, many people were victimized by air raids that brought devastation, injury, and death to countless numbers of innocent men, women, and children. Hard experiences were also endured by millions of combatants on various global battlefields.

Mental and Emotional Wounds

Many of the mental and emotional wounds suffered as a result of the terrible events that took place during World War II remain indelibly in the minds of large numbers of people who lived at that time and who are still alive today. They would like to erase all those awful, bitter memories. But they are not able to do so. For some, the images of such horrors return to torment them like a recurring nightmare.

Others, however, do not want to forget, either because they want revenge or because they wish to honor the memory of the fallen. In addition, there is widespread feeling that past atrocities should be kept alive in the collective memory of the human family in the hope that such atrocities will never be repeated.

A few years ago, during 1994-95, the atmosphere that surrounded the commemorations of the 50th anniversaries of D day (the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944) and of the end of the European phase of the second world war (in May 1945) demonstrated that for many eyewitnesses of those events, to forgive and forget is very difficult. Often, any gesture of reconciliation between former enemies is precluded. Thus, British veterans refused to invite German representatives to commemorations of the Allied landings in Normandy.

Regarding the atrocities committed by the Nazis in World War II and the difficulty of forgiving and forgetting, writer Vladimir Jankélévitch expressed himself this way: “In the presence of such a revolting crime, the natural impulse . . . is to be outraged and to fight passionately against forgetting and to pursue the criminals—as the judges of the allied Nuremberg Tribunal had promised—to the ends of the earth.” The same writer continued: “We would gladly say, reversing the terms of the prayer that Jesus addressed to God in the Gospel according to Saint Luke: Lord, do not forgive them, for they know what they are doing.”—Compare Luke 23:34.

Sad to say, from 1945 on, right up to the present time, innumerable other atrocities—in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, to mention just a few—have continued to stain the earth with blood. These atrocities have left millions of dead, as well as huge numbers of surviving widows and orphans, shattered lives, and horrendous memories, in their wake.

Without a doubt, this 20th century has been a time of unprecedented cruelty. It is just as Bible prophecy accurately foretold long ago about this era—men have proved to be “fierce” and “without love of goodness.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 6:4-8.

What Should We Do?

Confronted with such barbarity, people react differently. But what about us? Should we remember? Or should we forget? Does remembering mean harboring bitter, deep-seated ill will toward one’s former enemies, refusing to forgive? On the other hand, does forgiving mean that one can forget in the sense of totally wiping out bad memories?

What does the Creator of mankind, Jehovah God, think of the terrible crimes that have been committed in our time and in times past? Will he forgive the perpetrators? And is it not too late for God to compensate the victims killed in atrocities? Is there any solid hope that there will ever be an end to atrocities, since they have been happening for thousands of years? Just how will Almighty God eventually rectify these complicated matters?

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Children of massacre victims gather at refugee camp

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UN PHOTO 186797/J. Isaac

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U.S. Navy photo