Tying Rocks to Clouds
Author: Ken Homer Issue: 2023-05-03
Tying Rocks to Clouds
Desmond Tutu Speaks on the Possibility of Redemption
by Ken Homer
“Won’t you help to sing another song of freedom? Cause all I ever have, redemption songs, redemption songs.” ~Bob Marley
Back in 2006, I was present at a conference where Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a featured speaker and participant. He told a tale that has stuck with me ever since. When he and Nelson Mandela were struggling to steer South Africa out of the treacherous waters of apartheid into some new form of governance, they decided to institute the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They were rewarded with death threats for their efforts. People with family members who suffered rape, torture, and murder claimed that the horrors perpetrated on their loved ones were committed by monsters who needed to be punished for what they had done. And here is the part of the story that burned so brightly for me, “You see, this is the crux of the problem,” he said. “The minute you call someone a monster you have absolved them of human responsibility, and you open a doorway that lets darkness flood into your heart. Once you label someone a monster, you can justify the worst actions imaginable. You can end up treating people as if they actually were monsters instead of seeing them as people who for some reason or other got caught up in performing monstrous acts.
Mandela and I knew that if we demonized those who had oppressed us for decades, we would set in motion a pendulum swing that would lead us right back to the very prison from which we sought to escape – the holding cells of dehumanization. We felt that only if we kept alive the possibility of redemption for those who committed atrocities could we hope to shed light on what led them to commit such heinous crimes in the first place. Only by understanding how the conditions that allowed such horrors to become so widely acceptable could we hope to learn how to move our country out of darkness and into light.”
Truth and Reconciliation did not entirely live up to its ideals, it had its flaws. Yet, it was a profound act of courage and one that did lead to significant healing and change for South Africa. It is an example of what I call tying rocks to clouds because it dared to clothe an ideal in a practical garment. It was a deeply collaborative conversation because it faced down fear and inertia and produced a new and enlivened future for an entire country. If you are interested in learning more about Truth and Reconciliation, check out the documentary film: Long Night’s Journey into Day.
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