This is our last question to consider, for this course. You are welcome to respond several times, if you like. For those of you who would like to take some time to respond, you will have until June 19 to submit a response. I value your input and wise words. Thank you for the privilege of sharing your journey for a short while.
Our readings, for this week, have been focusing on justice and reconciliation. What does truth and reconciliation mean to you?
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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (modeled after South Africa??) aims to heal relationships, and allows for acknowledgement, appropriate public mourning, forgiveness and healing. It is commission that will allow survivors to finally give voice to what they had endured in residential schools and also for perpretations to make statements. It is not intended to punish.
It is my sincere hope that survivors will finally be able to move on and put the past behind them. It's my hope, but will it really happen! Considering the nation-wide responses from Natives on Prime MInister Harper's apology, I don't see this happening.
I think the biggest hurdle to overcome is the governments outright attempt to assimilate Indians, stripped from our language and culture, and the many abuses that occured in the residential schools.
Healing will happen and survivors and their families will be better adjusted, but forgiveness.... i don't know.
Survivors will forgive themselves and in doing that, it will set them free!
What is truth? I believe that we will never know what the real truth about what happen in Residential school. I dont think today government know what really happen!
We need to forgive but not forget what has happen in our past but we need to find a solution to go on. We need to share our stories, and speak out so our culture can once again be strong and go forward.
To me, truth lies within a person, and being honest with yourself and with others makes a huge difference. So, being honest or saying the truth is the first step towards finding answers for oneself. For others, it would be knowing the real facts about you and understanding you. To me, reconciliation is using the truth and losses of a person such as friendship, trust,respect, love or a person carrying resentment, anger, hurt, burden, hatred, etc. because someone was done wrong or caused two people to break the respect and love for one another, to restore what was lost in both persons or people what they had lost and to have reconcile their differences and bring back the healing of both persons or people. That's what truth and reconciliation means to me.
The truth is what we all expect. Goodness comes from the truth. Keeping it real with others; being real with yourself. A liar can't be trusted, and without trust a lot of other problems arise.
Reconciliation is forgiveness; resolving problems. To reconcile is to truce.
Truth and reconciliation? I think being true to yourself and others will give you reconciliation, honesty is always the best policy, and if you can be honest with yourself its easy to be forgiving to others.
truth to me is looking reality in the eye and being honest with everyone including oneself. but do people actually tell the truth all the time?although people tell lies i belive they are telling THIER truth to get what they want, what ever that may be. Reconciliation seems to be where people that have relationships wth friends are more easier to acknowledge rather then a realtionship that your in with someone you have feelings for. i believe that people can reconcile if the the reason they are fighting about can be solved. i know that i couldnt do it if my wife had an affair on me, even if we did have children together, i couldn't forgive or forget, i would have to move on. now if we were fighting over money and things got out of hand and we decided to split, then reconcile down the road i could defintly work things out. so ti think that reconciliation is based on the values that the relationship has.
Truth and Reconciliation? I think that when people use truth with themselves and others, it helps make them better people who then become trusted by others and have respect from others. At the same time, I think it depends from different perspectives on what can be reconciliation, you can be babdley hurt by something or someone and find it impossible to reconcile with that person. They always say that if you can heal yourself then you can begin to forgive others.
Truth and Reconciliation
If I look how “Truth and Reconciliation” work into the sentencing circle, I would assume that to speak the truth in hopes that you will show your humbleness regarding the crime you committed. A reconciliation between the community and the person who committed the crime, need’s to take place. Finding a resolution, and coming to an agreement, so that the people who were hurt feel empathy for the participant in the crime, and the members of the circle feel they can move on. Hopefully, leaving the person who committed the crime, to also to feel remorse, and regret, with the end result having forgiveness for himself.
An opportunity for victims to tell their side of the abuse that they suffered is very much needed. It gives a voice to the atrocities they endured. It is not something that is to be swept under the rug. The abuses they suffered have affected generations. In order to eventually heal we need to learn and know what happened, to understand why our cousins, uncles, aunts, parents or grandparents are the way they are. This is the truth that will help us move forward.
As for reconciliation, it is good that the Government if finally acknowledging that their attempt to assimilate First Nations was wrong and that it caused great harm; harm which affected our language and heritage. I am in agreement with my fellow students that the healing will happen and survivors and their families will start a new beginning. However, to expect forgiveness is too soon. It is still a very fresh wound. Like a fellow student stated, “Once survivors forgive themselves, it will set them free!”
Sorry for the late response, I have been busy with painting of our new apartment.
What does truth and reconciliation mean to you?
That is a very good question. To me truth means that you need to be honest with yourself and with others. That's a quality I admire most about people. We are learned what happened with residential school and the truth is, most of the First Nations weren’t satisfied with the apology that Mr. Harper had to give. Most people have hoped to focus more on truth and reconciliation. They will have the sense of being free.
Reconciliation is working together to come up with a better solution to a problem. For example, the churches and the people, they need to come together and sort out the problems that caused us great grief.
“If we allow the truth to be told and have a heart to hear it, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be a doorway to a better Canada for us all. In fact, at this moment, it is the most important doorway to a liveable future," adds The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop of the Anglican Church of Canada.”
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=827942&k
Wow, that’s a big one! Truth and reconciliations, I believe must exist within ourselves, in order to grow as individuals and to move towards healing and “a better me” as I put it. It is my opinion that, to find forgiveness for oneself, opens the door to be able to forgive others, with or without having received an apology or admission of wrong doing.
When I think of truth, I think that you have to be true to yourself if you are going see truth in others. There is a saying; the truth shall set you free. Now would this be true in the justice system. I don’t think so, speaking the truth doesn’t set you free, it follows by a consequence instead. If everyone spoke the truth in the court of law, then people wouldn’t need defense lawyers. Its ironic how the law speaks the truth in a court room. Perhaps this may be true in a sentencing circle. Restorative justice is to promote reconciliation between the suspect and victim. Therefore, the suspect must speak to truth to set him free of harsh punishment. When I seen the word reconciliation, forgiveness comes to mind. When you reconcile you forgive. Forgiveness is a strong word; it is sometime difficult to do.
Today is Thursday and I'm trying to complete my marking and assign grades - assigning grades is not easy because there is so many intangibles to consider. However, grades must be assigned and I must complete the task.
I'm not sure if anyone will read this post -- the course is over and we've moved on. However, I will check, over the next week, I will check to see if you have responded.
I have been delighted with the depth of thoughtfulness you have put into this course. You have grappled with some powerful, thought-provoking issues. These issues continue to perplex the most intelligent in the country. However, your voices are speaking loudly and I hope you continue to speak -- your thoughts and feelings are important and Canadians need to hear you with a heart that is open to change and yes, reconciliation. I wish you all a prosperous journey -- I feel privileged to have been able to share a short part of your journey with you!
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