So, basically the prompt is... take a position on if JFK's quote, "Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names" applies to today. Give examples.
So, here I go.
I strongly believe that this quote applies to life today in many aspects. Of course, John F. Kennedy's meaning of this was in politics and foreign affairs. The way I see it, the quote can apply in the same types of places today, while also applying in everyday activities and everyday actions of every single person.
The way it can be seen in foreign affairs and politics today seems quite self-explainable and flagrant. Most people are aware of the crisis our country is in with many countries around the world such as North Korea, Iraq, and Iran. Numerous other countries are at war or in disagreements with others, also. The way the quote would go along with this is to not hold "grudges" on people that have hurt or disagreed with your country in the past. Holding these grudges will not get you anywhere. Many countries are under new leaderships from fifty years ago, so forgiveness is crucial for these places. Once a country has come to an argument, that argument is not forgotten at all, so room for forgiveness is not given. Many times, that makes matters worse. However, nothing changes; forgiveness is not handed to anyone; blame continues to be placed for the past. As for the second part of the quote, "but never forget their names," that also applies here. Let's say we begin to forgive Russia, for the nuclear arms war. It would be impossible to forget what has happened there, and it wouldn't be in our best interest to forget either. If we would forget who did all this, in future generations, the same type of actions could take place, but if we did not remember what Russia was capable of, the future generations could underestimate and become a victim. This may seem quite far-fetched, but it shows how Kennedy's quote would apply today in more specific foreign affairs.
While the foreign affairs idea applies more to countries as a whole, I believe the quote does apply to every single person today. The same framework goes along with this idea: forgive and remember; don't hold grudges. People everyday commit actions that might be considered offensive or disagreeable with someone else. Let us take a bully for example. In middle school, Eric keeps to himself a lot, and begins to be bullied by Jim. Jim is just a heartless person. By the end of eighth grade, Eric decides that forgiving Jim is the best thing to do. Maybe Jim has had a rough life, leading him to his bullying. And Eric might not even see Jim at all in the gigantic place that is Wayzata High School. Eric forgives him, but realizes that he will never forget Jim. This is good because by the time senior year comes along, Eric finds that he has MoPro with Jim. He glances at the seating chart, and sees that his seat is right next to Jim. He sits down and sees that Jim is bullying the smaller boy on the other side; Jim hasn't changed at all. But, because Eric remembers this big bully and what he has done, he knows to avoid Jim, so he does not become the victim of his endeavours once again. If he would have forgotten Jim, he could have easily fallen into the control of him, but he didn't. What Kennedy said, many years ago, would help any person in a similar situation.
Many people use the phrase, "forgive and forget," but Kennedy's version of this is more, "Forgive, but remember." I believe his quote can apply in a positive manner to anyone, anytime, anyplace.
No comments:
Post a Comment