Justice @ Rhodes

I found both the class and the lecture with Antjie Krog to be very compelling. There are a few things she said that I found particularly interesting. I liked the story she told about spreading the guilt. I never would have thought to take that story about people passing the guilt along for anything more than just people trying to avoid blame. It makes sense though to want to spread the blame. It is more beneficial for everyone to feel guilty and responsible in some way because then they are more likely to change and less likely to just forget about it. If everyone shares the blame there is no one person for everyone to point at or hide behind. I like that the amnesty aspect of the truth commission corresponds to this taking responsibility and accepting blame. Krog explained the difference between amnesty and the court system by saying that in the courts you begin by pleading not guilty but with amnesty you stand and say "I have done wrong and I want to change". I think that beginning with the acceptance and acknowledgement of fault and blame is a more effective place to start. I also liked the idea of forgiveness having the power to restore humanity. It is incredible that all the people involved in the truth commission had the capacity to forgive and the willingness to change and move forward. I knew little about this subject before and I am really glad that I got to learn more about it from such a knowledgeable and eloquent source.