In 1884 the Reverend James Gibbons penned the prayer commonly known in Christian churches in which it is used as the act of contrition. Although I might debate some of the theology of this prayer I agree with its essence. Regardless of how we might define sin or higher power, most of us would agree that when we do something which is contrary to those beliefs which we hold most dear – those beliefs we hold as sacred – we separate ourselves from our essential goodness which also, simultaneously separates us from the God of our understanding. By confessing our sin publicly and doing all we can to reconnect with our essential goodness by making amends and doing whatever repair is possible, we are able to put ourselves, once again, in the starting lineup. Obviously, we cannot undo that which has been done. The act of contrition reads thus.
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace
to confess my sins,
to do penance
and to amend my life.
I have previously written about the 12-steps of recovery/spiritual growth as originally written by Dr. Bob and Bill W. Steps 8 and 9 echo the substance of the act of contrition.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
The role of confession no matter how trivialized and commercialized it may have become in some religious institutions is an essential part of healing. One of the frequently repeated “truths” in the 12-step programs is, “We are only as sick as our secrets.” Much of my profession of counseling/clinical psychology/psychoanalysis is also predicated upon the belief that secrets lead to shame which leads to separation which leads to an ability to relate to others and ourselves as non-human. This in turn allows us to treat each other as less than – as non-sacred. If our goal is to abuse or kill those we want to claim are the enemy, we must first view them as non-human- as different than us – as less important/sacred than us.
Thus, if we want to heal; if we want to create a more peaceful, just and loving world, we will first have to admit that we have harmed each other, mother earth, and ourselves. We must then publicly and sincerely declare that we are “heartily sorry.” The apology is to ourselves, each other and thus to the we which comprises the higher power.
Then we make amends when possible except where to do so would cause further harm.
I think that as individuals, as communities, and as nations the process of healing is exactly the same. We commit very hurtful actions on purpose, through error of judgment, by mis-communicating, and by convincing ourselves that the commission of hurtful acts is necessary.
Tuesday, October 7, the St. Petersburg Tribune (pages 1 and 5) reported on the testimony of General John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan about the bombing by U.S. Planes of the hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. He called it a “mistake.” He says that the hospital was “mistakenly struck” and that “the attack was made through the U.S. military chain of command… Campbell further stated, “More senior officials would have to decide whether to cooperate with an outside investigation.” He also said that “Afghan forces who were under fire in Kunduz had requested the U. S. airstrike, but did not do so directly. Additionally he said “We had a special operations unit in close vicinity that was talking to the aircraft.” Elsewhere the hospital staff has asserted that the bombing went on for the better part of an hour and they made repeated calls to the U.S. military officials to tell them what was happening. Doctors Without Borders staff have also repeatedly said that they had repeatedly advised the U.S. military of the exact GPS coordinates of the hospital.”
I have also previously written about the fact that so called collateral damage is the term used to excuse the deaths of non-combatants in fighting a war or conducting a military type operation.
While it is true that the United States Secretary of Defense has called for “a full and transparent investigation” no one seems to now dispute the fact that U. S. planes dropped the bombs on the hospital or that the attack continued for nearly an hour.
I have yet to hear a plain and very simple, “We are heartily sorry for “having offended you” or “for these our misdoings.” In fact, one of the frequent complaints that I hear from some citizens of the United States and by citizens of other countries is that we in the United States seem to have a difficult time saying we were wrong or that we are sorry and that we are going to change our ways. It seems to some that, we, as a country have more “excuses” for our behavior than the average active alcoholic has for their behavior.
I am not, in this blog, talking about the fact that we invaded the country of Afghanistan and have remained there for more than 12 years. I am not addressing the fact that we have not apologized for invading two countries because we were angry over the events of 9/11.
I am not, in this blog, talking about all the violent, secret action of representatives of the United States against officials in other countries preceding and following the events of 9/11. I am not talking about our seemingly arrogance at thinking we have the right to take violent actions within the borders of countries if we think that they are harboring or could be harboring someone who is our enemy. I am not talking about any other aspects of the disparity being perceived as the most violent so called developed nation in the world and our view of us as the most peaceful nation in the world.
I am talking about a multitude of actions, including the bombing of the Hospital in Kunduz, which, in my humble opinion, requires an “act of contrition.” I am not suggesting that we prosecute anyone for criminal offenses although that might seem justified by many. I am suggesting that unless we learn to humble ourselves as a nation, sincerely, make amends and then refrain from similar behavior in the future, we, as a country can send in all the military forces we want to whatever countries and we will not see a just or peaceful outcome. To create peace or the possibility of peace we must do away with the barriers which prevent us from celebrating the sacred humanness which all of us on earth share. Of course, I would make the same recommendation to all other people who currently justify their destructive behavior whether they be Christians, Jews, Muslims, members of the Taliban, Isis, or groups in Syria.
If I am working a personal program of spiritual growth, I do not say that I will do an act of contrition if everyone else does it. If one is a person in a 12-step program of recovery, one does not say to one’s sponsor, “I am not making amends until you prove that everyone else in the program has made amends.” If we are in a church service using the act of contrition, the minister or priest does not say, “Only act on this prayers if you can prove that everyone is this church has acted on it.” No! We are invited to start with ourselves. We are invited to free ourselves from the terrible secrets which have separated us from our own goodness, from others, and our higher power.
For the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz, a as citizen of the United States:
O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace
to confess my sins,
to do penance
and to amend my life.
Written October 7, 2015
Postscript: It was reported in the St. Petersburg Tribune on October 8, 2015 in an Associated Press article by Josh Lederman that President Obama apologized to the head of Doctors Without Borders. I did not see any mention of an apology to the family of patients killed or injured or to the Afghan people as a whole.
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