Editorial - It Is Time To Move On
One of the stories in this edition of The Far East is the story of a Korean woman, Anna Lee, who was a ‘Comfort woman' to the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War.Many older people familiar with the Second World War will remember that women in countries under Japanese occupation were forced into sexual bondage to provide for the sexual needs of Japanese soldiers. Decades afterwards, memories still haunt women like Anna.
Trauma telescopes time. Anna or the Anzacs. I am always moved by the emotion of soldiers who still cry when they think about their lives in war and the lost lives of their companions. In the human spirit, time is a relative term.
But I often hear this phrase, "It's time to move on." Who says these words? We all do. But I think we use it when we are feeling strong and in control of our lives. It is a phrase rarely spoken by people who have become victims, caught up in events beyond their control that have shattered their lives. It is very difficult for them ‘to move on.'
All societies desire that women like Anna remain invisible. But some issues cannot be forgotten until they are properly laid to rest. God bless the advocates for the ‘Comfort women'!
TFE@columban.org.au
