Forgiveness In The Tattooed Soldier

There is a time in life when people put other humans through so much pain, and now they are stuck on the decision whether to seek revenge or simply forgive and move on for their own sake. In the novel, The Tattooed Soldier, by Hector Tobar, Antonio Bernal is a Guatemalan citizen, who saves his own life by moving to Los Angeles but is still haunted by the dreadful past of his wife and little boy being murdered by a soldier with a symbol of a yellow Jaguar on this arm. Sitting in front of Antonio is Guillermo Longoria, who appears to have the exact death squad mark of the yellow Jaguar on his arm. To forgive is one of the most difficult human moral standards, yet to practice forgiveness is a choice. Although, some people frame forgiveness as justice, there are times the truth must be revealed by seeking revenge for the love and protection of others.

In all aspects, forgiveness is the core to a healthy living. It is one of the important steps of moving forward in life and it is done by letting go of the negative past injustice. To be able to forgive means having the strength to restore justice, but many may argue that forgiving is saying it is ok of what has been caused. Forgive does not mean to forget, it creates the ability to not punish another. In 1972, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, a nine-year-old Vietnamese-Canadian girl, suffered third degree burns when the South Vietnamese Air Force bombed the village of Trang Bang. Doctors were unsure if Kim would survive. Luckily she did and forty years later she decided to forgive those people who attacked her. Forgiveness is not an obligation and when Kim was asked about the incident, she replied, “ I avoid that. It’s my choice. I avoid living in the past.” She let go of her pain and founded The KIM...

... middle of paper ...

...lly, or simply putting an end to other lives. If a person has purposely caused an eternal damage, it is the responsibility of others to put an end to it before many are put to harm.

We all want to be able to forgive in order to seek justice. There are situations when forgiveness does lead us to a brighter future, whether if it has to do with health or our occupational status. It is hard to be able to forgive someone who has caused so much aching, especially if it was done intentionally, but it makes us into a stronger human being. There are times when forgiveness isn’t even an option. It is hard sleeping at night knowing the person who intentionally took away a loved one is living their life without any consequences. At times like those, justice is an act of revenge because two negatives make a positive and there is a big possibility the harmful act will continue.