Factory Fire

The Fire in Bangladesh is certainly a tragedy. The death of over one hundred workers is a great loss no matter where in the world you are. The working conditions in the Bangladesh factory were terrible. After reading this article, I was most upset by the fact that many of the stores denied that some of their products had been made there. Some stores claim that they have not had their products made in that factory in over a year or certain periods of time. In my opinion, I was disappointed in the ways in which many of the US stores responded to this fire. I think they (Wal-Mart, Sears, etc.) should contribute in some way to the rebuilding of the factory or pay for some of the losses. It is not fair that the factory workers should have to settle just because of the working conditions. I think a story like this is an eye opener to many of Disney, Wal-Mart, or Sears customers, and I hope that people around the world realize the dangers of poor working conditions and try to fix them.

Radical Forgiveness

After reading this blog, I though about all the little things that we, as human beings, tend to hold a grudge over. Often times we let such trivial things interfere and destroy our relationships, friendships, or even marriages. Pope John Paul II's ability to forgive someone, who almost killed him,is the quintessence of a good Christian. In the Bible, Jesus teaches us to forgive not just the little things people have committed against but also the big things. This story also relates to Immaculee Ilibagiza's story of how she forgave the individuals involved in the Rwanda Genocide. Even years after the Genocide, Immaculee was able to forgive one of the murderers that killed her family member. Jesus gives us the strength to forgive those we do not think we are capable of forgiving. In the last chapter of her book, Immaculee has a dream in which her brother says to her, "Now heal your heart. You must love, and you must forgive those who have trespassed against us." Forgiving others not only benefits the person who committed an act of transgression against you, but it also benefits you. Forgiveness helps heal us from whatever we cannot let go of.