#35: Richard Moore - Blinded as a Boy but Forgives
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Have you ever gone through a difficult moment in your life? Depression, abuse, loss — these are awful and unfortunate things some of us have to deal with. In these cases, it’s not easy to know what to do to regain control of our emotions and reactions. Remember that you’re not alone on this journey. Know that things can and will get better.
In this episode, Richard Moore shares his story about how he was shot and blinded as a young boy, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, by a British Soldier. Instead of seeking revenge, he sought forgiveness and after years of searching, he finally found the soldier who shot him as a boy and forgave him. His story of forgiveness has taken him around the world where he has inspired people from all over including the Dalai Lama, who now counts Richard as a personal friend.
Tune in to this episode to learn how you too can begin on the journey of forgiveness and lead a more compassionate life.
Here are 3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Learn how to forgive and why choosing forgiveness is so important for us all moving forward.
Learn that compassion is always choice no matter the situation.
Understand that holding onto the past only prolongs your suffering.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“On the 4th of May, 1972 […] I was only 10 years of age. A British soldier fired a rubber bullet, I was 10 feet away and it hit me on the bridge of my nose and I lost my right eye and permanently blinded in my left eye. ”
“Forgiveness doesn’t change the past but it does change the future.”
“Shootings, riots, bombing became almost a daily occurrence […] my uncle was shot dead on Bloody Sunday.”
“I understand that forgiveness is hard and we expect too much from victims. We expect them to lead the way and show us forgiveness and it’s not fair but whenever a victim has the strength to do that it’s a message worth hearing.”
“Sometimes you have to separate the action from the actor and if you can do that it gives you the opportunity to get beyond the incident, beyond the hurt.”
Episode Highlights
Richard’s Account of the Shooting
● Crossing the park as a 10 year old he was shot by a British soldier with a rubber bullet and left completely blind.
● In the aftermath one of his brothers wanted revenge but his parents never held any anger and were full of love which enabled Richard to do the same.
● He accepted his new reality very quickly and decided that being blind would not hold him back - even growing to like it in some instances.
Choosing to Forgive
● Richard says he forgave Charles, the British soldier, long before he ever met him and as ultimately forgiveness comes from within.
● He tells us that is took Charles 6 years of friendship before he apologised to Richard for shooting him as a child and leaving him blind.
● Richard tells us we have to accept people for who they are and not expect them to be who we want them to be.
● By choosing forgiveness, Richard moved forwards with his life and leads a happy one instead of a life of bitterness and resentment.
● “Forgiveness doesn’t change the past, but it does change the future.”
Living Compassionately
● Seperating the action from the actor is key to finding forgiveness. We are not all bad people but we all do bad things from time to time - it’s human nature.
● “Educate the heart. We have to begin to respond with compassion and empathy but the hardest time to do that is when you are hurt. The way to do that is by seeing past the incident.”
● If we can see past the mistake and see the humanity in that person we will begin to lead more compassionate lives.
Forgiveness is a Gift to Yourself
● By choosing to forgive you get to let go of the past and moveSeb went through an identity crisis due to the event, making him question the Italian value of family.
● By forgiving you are no longer frozen in the past and could begin to look forwards and be excited for your future.
● By holding onto grudges you are give the person who hurt you power of you and your life. Take the power back by forgiving.
Inspire Others with Your Story of Forgiveness
● “I understand that forgiveness is hard and we expect too much from victims. We expect them to lead the way and show us forgiveness and it’s not fair but whenever a victim has the strength to do that it’s a message worth hearing.”
● You can be the example that others choose to follow and though you may not know it by forgiving others you may grant happiness unto the who follow.
● There is no pressure to forgive immediately or at all. The journey must begin when you are completely read and want do so for yourself.
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To removing stigma,
Jim and Seb
