Self-Perceived Victimhood

“In the face of tragedy, forgiveness is the counter-narrative of hope. It is not a moral luxury, an option for saints. At times it is the only path through the thickets of hate to the open spaces of coexistence. I can still remember my undergraduate days, when I would return after a vacation, laden with luggage. In those days I couldn’t afford a taxi, so I used to carry my heavy cases from the station to my college. They were so heavy that still, when I recall those days, I can feel the aching muscles and numb wrists. That is what it is to carry hate, resentment and a sense of grievance. They weigh us down. They stop us thinking of anything else. We may feel righteous. Indeed there is none so self-righteous as one who carries the burden of self-perceived victimhood. But it is ultimately dehumanising. More than hate destroys the hated, it destroys the hater.”

The Dignity of Difference, p. 154