The Power of Forgivness

Yolanda Young, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., and author of the book and syndicated column, "On Our Way to Beautiful," in her essay, Freeing Myself Through Forgiveness on This I Believe from NPR, eloquently delivers why she believes in the power of forgiveness.

Radio Times, host, Marty Moss-Coane, interviewed Donald Kraybill, author of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy.Tragedy yesterday. Mr. Kraybill followed the tragedy that occurred in the Amish community last year when a truck driver broke into an Amish Schoolhouse and shot ten schoolgirls, execution style, killing five of them. He points out how forgiveness is part of the "cultural DNA" of the Amish community and how the individual yields to the community giving up any right to retaliate. He discusses why anger is not functional in a communitarian context as it is in an individualistic society such as ours.