For the past 18 years, Marina Cantacuzino has been researching forgiveness. Her study has ranged from wars and violent crimes to F everyday slights and misunderstandings, infidelities and untruths. Put baldly, what she wants to know is where and if forgiveness fits into our lives. For a word that sounds so positive, uplifting and soothing, it's actually a messy business, with so much of the philosophy and action around it in question, or under attack.
How can you forgive the murderer of your child, or the terrorist whose bomb disabled you? What if it was your father who killed your mother, or the government of your country that imprisoned you unfairly, or the doctor who failed to save your husband's life?
And if, somehow, we do forgive - or say we do - is it because we want to look away and try to forget? Is forgiving in some way condoning an act? Is talking about forgiveness a way of closing down an argument, rather than working towards a resolution? Is forgiveness a sign of a civilised society, or one that is letting its power ebb away?
Cantacuzino, who is now in her mid60s, worked as a freelance journalist, living with her artist/house-husband and three children (who are now grown) in northwest London. Her bread-and-butter work was Hello! magazine, but she also wrote for Marie Claire and occasional Guardian pieces.
Her fixation with forgiveness started with the Iraq War and her fear that the post-9/11 world was set on vengeance. "I was convinced that the harder you come down on people, the more resistant and angry they grow. So, my way of trying to bring attention to peace rather than war was to find iconic cultural stories that showed people who had experienced trauma, atrocity and violence, but who hadn't reacted with vengeful instincts. And in the course of that, I also spoke to perpetrators of violence who had transformed that aggression into a force for peace."
Denne historien er fra September 17 - 23, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra September 17 - 23, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
