JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Iona Dance Theatre's Elizabeth Grote maintained poise yesterday at Hawaii International Forgiveness Day festivities. The event was presented by the Hawaii Forgiveness Project at Central Union Church.

A recipe for peace

Hundreds celebrate the power of individual acts

On the 61st anniversary of the atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima, as war rages in Lebanon, Iraq and other places around the globe, about 200 people gathered at Central Union Church in Honolulu to mark International Forgiveness Day.

The event, which organizers said is celebrated in 80 countries, promotes forgiveness as a way toward both personal and world peace.

"If you want another word for 'forgiveness,' it's 'peace,'" said J.R. Coleman, a poet and teacher who participated in yesterday's ceremony.

Dr. Jerry Jampolsky, an author of books on forgiveness and a co-master of ceremonies yesterday, said people often ask him why Israel and the Palestinians do not forgive each other to bring peace to the Middle East.

His answer, Jampolsky said, is that people need to look not just at what other people or nations need to forgive, but at individual actions and what you should forgive.

"It's really, ultimately about us," Jampolsky said. If individuals can forgive, then nations can follow, he said.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Iona Dance Theatre's performance "Passage into Tomorrow" drew the crowd's attention yesterday afternoon during Hawaii International Forgiveness Day at Central Union Church. The event promotes forgiveness in individuals and groups to foster peace and cleanse mind, body and soul.

"Heroes put more light in the world and make this dark go away," Jampolsky said.

The honorees included the late Michael Nakamura, former Honolulu police chief, who was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2004 and publicly forgave the man; and Masago and Tokiko Asai of Nagasaki, Japan, where the United States dropped the second of two atomic bombs during World War II.

All of Masago's grandparents and her father died of cancer, and her mother, Tokiko Asai, had an operation last year to remove her stomach. Both are being honored for their efforts at forgiveness and promoting world peace.

Other honorees included:

» Malakai Maumalanga and Jane Tampon, former gang members from rival gangs in Kalihi, who now work together at Adult Friends for Youth, helping turn other young people away from the gang lifestyle.

» Diann Boone, who repressed memories of her abuse by a teacher and a priest and later was able to forgive her abuser.

» The Makaha Sons, who were able to reunite with former member Israel Kamakawiwo'ole in an emotional performance during the 1996 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards show. The video of the reunion is now used in a lesson plan to teach children about the power of forgiveness.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM 12-year-old Melinda Chinen colored part of a mural at the event, presented annually by the Hawaii Forgiveness Project.