Louis Zamperini Forgiveness

The book Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In by Louis Zamperini and David Rensin conveys the valuable life lessons learned from Zamperini’s life in a touching and poignant way. From youthful shenanigans to touching stories of forgiveness, Zamperini surely lived a full life. There is no doubt that this book provides valuable insight and direction to live a meaningful life.

Everyone can take a lesson in forgiveness. Little grudges and thoughtless condemnations weigh society down and make humanity miserable. “True forgiveness goes hand in hand with no longer condemning. Some people forgive and keep thinking, ‘that son of a gun, what he did to me.’ But is that forgiveness? When you forgive you have to let it go.” (Zamperini 215) Zamperini considers forgiveness to be an all or nothing subject. Either you forgive and let go, or that seed of hatred festers and will once more emerge.

Everyone deserves a second chance, and those who take advantage of them have marvelous opportunities in store. As Zamperini so well put: “That vision of my possible future, and the fear of being labeled a hopeless case, finally shocked me into considering that maybe, just maybe I’d taken the wrong path.”(Zamperini 18) Fear can be a powerful motivator in turning one’s life around. By realising his personal foibles Zamperini takes steps to turn
However as Zamperini points out; “The difference between recognition and attention is self esteem.”(Zamperini 21) Do people seek attention or recognition? The key lies in whether the individual has self esteem, whether or not they feel worthy of positive attention. One can break the detrimental cycle of self loathing “through hard work and accomplishments” (21) as Zamperini notes. Everyone deserves the sense of bliss that accompanies high self-esteem, they just might have to work for