Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

70 WITNESSING MERCY FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIAT ION rofessor Patrice Brodeur’s theory on nature, nurture and culture is much related to the Buddha’s teaching on the four conditions of welfare and foundations of social unity and social cohesion. In Buddhism, we believe that there is both good and bad nature in human beings. It is impor- tant to associate with people of integrity and have the right upbringing to nurture and strengthen the goodness in us. This is where the first two foundations of social unity are focused, on generous acts that include the giving of material and financial support as well as giving time, service and solidarity, and communicating with empathy and compassion to heal, accept and rehuman- ise. Additionally, it is important to create a culture of peace and a structure of justice in society to enable and sustain the conditions for spiritual development. The last two foundations of social unity focus on creating a culture and structure of justice, spiritual energy and social equality. Reflecting on my own case, I grew up in a prolonged and intense civil war within an isolated nation with deep-rooted structural injustice and a strong culture of hatred, fear, retaliation and historical prejudice. Our school textbooks are about partial truth and a one-sided history of war, celebrating winners, normalised retalia- tion and violence. The school teachers, education system and society were promoting hatred, victim mentality, strong division, dehumanisation, and a systematic dis- semination of fear and prejudice. However, I was fortunate to be brought up by pow- erful exemplars of mercy who planted the seeds of empathy, responsibility and compassion. My grand- mothers and parents made sure that we understood their difficult lives’ journey and adversity with a focus on understanding the complex causes and conditions, the untold true stories of reconciliation and beautiful acts of forgiveness and, most importantly, the nature of interdependency and interconnection. My grandmother’s night time stories at the fire pit during years of no electricity, became an invaluable school where I learnt much of viewing issues with differ- ent perspectives, understanding causes and conditions, the practice and power of unconditional compassion and forgiveness for healing and reconciliation. I wit- nessed their unconditional mercy and commitment in saving many patients, regardless of their background, and saving many wounded soldiers from any of the combatant armies, while setting up a system for public health. Their most heart-breaking but life-affirming acts were their rehabilitation and empowerment works for the most vulnerable girls and women who survived rape during the war.   Nevertheless, the fear, anger and hatred toward soldiers was deeply rooted in me from the loss of my childhood friend and witness of many atrocities in war and injustice. Sometimes I fantasied about my own retal- iation against the soldiers. When I was a teenager, our family moved from the war region to the capital city of Burma. There was a university student protest around the area in which we lived. The protest was violently constrained by the police and army and we lived under a strict curfew. Many protest leaders and suspected people were beaten and detained. Seeing such brutality and having soldiers deployed around our houses twenty-four hours a day for many days was very fearful. We have a tradition of offering fresh fruits and cool water in a clay pot to pedestrians in front of our house. Washing the clay pot every morning, filling it with cool drinking water and watching the passers-by thankful for the water in such hot weather was always a joyful experience. But during the curfew period, I was ready to retaliate violently to whoever wore an army uniform. On one occasion, with deep anger and hatred, I crushed some medicine into a powder and dissolved it in the water with which I filled the clay pot kept at the front of our house. I prepared myself to enjoy watching a soldier drinking the poison. At that moment, I saw a soldier walk toward the water pot to fill his water bottle. I was ready to watch him drink and suffer pain and death. While he was filling his water bottle, he looked up to the first floor balcony where I was watching him. What I expected was the look of a wicked and vicious soldier who was ready to attack me. Unexpectedly, I saw a boy soldier who looked pale, frightened and remorseful. With sur- prise and deep sadness, I started to realise that he was as Nang Loung Hom P