There was a time, not too many years ago, that a friend of mine, a retired naval officer, then a successful businessman, wanted to talk to one of my sons about attending Annapolis.
My friend was a good man, a survivor of Pearl Harbor, but he had one flaw. He hated the Japanese and he took every opportunity in business, in public, and in private to say so.
I told him he could not talk to my son, unless he could let go of his hatred, for I didn’t want a seventeen year old, at that time, influenced by such an old festering hate.
When you hate you create a bond as powerful as love. The great teachings suggest that what you hate you attract to you. To love your enemies, does not mean approving of their actions, in means loving the part of them that is inherently good and then forgive. Not forget, but forgive.
My friend thought about our discussion for several months. One week he called to tell me whe was going to visit Japan. And he was going to stop at Pearl Harbor.
He asked if he could talk to my son. I said “yes”.
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