What if your family had owned slaves? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge one man's attempt to apologize for the sins of his family's past. Also, mizuko kuyo, the Japanese ritual ceremony of apology to aborted fetuses. What does it mean to say "I'm sorry."
Cary Sudler is descended from a slave-holding plantation family. He discovered that he shares the Sudler name with both black and white families in the area around the old plantation. Sudler went back to apologize to the black Sudlers and talk about the family's history with as many of his relatives as he could find. Their reactions are powerful, fascinating and disturbing. Sudler lives in Los Angeles and continues to work on his family's history.SEGMENT 2:
Psychologist Robert Karen, author of "The Forgiving Self: The Road from Resentment to Connection," tells Jim Fleming that forcing kids to apologize when they're not really sorry is a bad idea. He says it devalues forgiveness, which is really important when people need to connect with each other. Also, we get the Monty Python take on apologies, and Dr. William Frey, director of the Alzheimer's Research Center at Regents Hospital in Minnesota and author of "Crying: A Mystery of Tears," talks with Steve Paulson about the physiology of tears.SEGMENT 3:
William La Fleur is the author of "Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan." He tells Anne Strainchamps about the Japanese mizuko rituals which are a form of public apology addressed to aborted fetuses. Japan has one of the world's highest rates of abortion, and these rituals help the women involved deal with their grief and guilt.Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 02-01-27-A.
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