There are moments when our jaded sensibilities are reawakened by events
that take us by surprise, like the family of Charleston victims who extended
forgiveness to the killer of their loved ones. The power of forgiveness
transmuted pain that could have erupted in rage at the injustice of brutality
in a place of worship. Instead, peoples' hearts opened up in deep empathy and
compassion, shifting a nation torn by racial prejudice toward a new direction.
Many years from now, when we look back at this moment, we should remember the
feeling of opening up to the other we never knew.