Reflection at Myruan Sukumaran’s Funeral

Over the years I have been heavily involved in anti death penalty campaigns. Barlow and Chambers in Malaysia, Van Nguyen in Singapore and now Chan and Sukumaran in Indonesia.It’staught me a thing or two about what is of ultimate importance in life. These lessons have been so painfully learned and are so strong that they have changed me forever. The first lesson is that redemption is real. Individuals, no matter what they do, can change but in general, society doesn’t. Society, in general is pretty unforgiving. Second, as death approaches and the closer it gets the more loving we become. In fact, in the scheme of things, love is all there is. Love encompasses, surrounds and is the beginning and end of all of us. I know that sounds strange and religious but it’s profoundly real. Yesterday, I attended Myuran Sukumuran’s funeral and the reality of his redemption was there in spades for all to see. It’s so ironic that from a prison cell in Indonesia so many lives ended up being changed and so much love was released into the world and in dying that love did not end but exploded out. Heard that before? Yes. It’s all been said over and over in many ways and in all religions yet society goes on as if it never happened at all. Yet I know it did!