The stories of Phyllis Rodriguez and Aicha el-Wafi was touching, emotional, but also inspirational. The two women started off their presentation by sharing the story of their two sons; Rodriguez's son was killed in the 9/11 incident and el-Wafi's son was convicted of taking part in this incident and serving a life's sentence. This speech was not about forgiveness or justice but rather on the importance of perspective.
I was amazed and touched that these two women did not have anger towards the situation and that they were able to overcome their emotions to think about the other person's situation and had a sense of empathy for them. Rodriguez and el-Wafi were able to make themselves stronger by bonding with a person who was in a similar situation. It was inspirational to see them put aside their emotion to comfort each other with their losses and push through the pain.
At one point in the speech, el-Wafi explained how Rodriguez knew where her son is, however, el-Wafi didn't know where her son is, if he is dead, or if he is being tortured and that torments her every day. Rodriguez also explained how when she told her story to others, they gave her sympathy but when el-Wafi shared hers, there was no sympathy, for the most part.
I could tell that both mothers were very emotional during the speech because they were crying and holding their hearts, however, I could also see a strong friendship/bond showing that both mothers shared something in common and that they supported and comforted each other. Their movements set the mood/tone of their speech and made it more inspirational and emotional. El-Wafi had the most distinct speech because she was very soft-spoken and talked faster and it seemed to convey her passion and "heart-brokenness".
One of the main points I found in this speech was to find different perspectives and to find what you have in common to to connect with a new friend. Both women had their sons disappear because of the 9/11 incident and they knew what it had felt like for the other person through the perspective of being a mother. Maybe this is what society needs to do more often; put yourself in the other person's situation through a common position. This way, people could be more empathetic rather than sympathetic to better understand the emotions of the person and this could help them through a hard time during life.
By doing this, people would have the opportunity to connect with others and start a friendship, even if the people speak different languages like Rodriguez and el-Wafi. Imagine if every person in the world was able to share and experience with someone else, somewhere in the world... there would be peace. Now I challenge you to forgive that person and make peace with them and imagine the situation from their point of view.
I find that the timing of the release of this speech could not have been more accurate/useful with the news of Bin Laden's death and the reactions to it...
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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