A well written article about the impact of two close friends of Van Nguyen. It's coming on to 5 years since Van Nguyen was executed in Singapore on 2 December 2005. I've written about the impact of the death penalty on those who are effected by it personally, and a lot of my feelings on the subject come from talking with these two women. In this article they bravely articulate the extent to which they have been permanently scarred by the horrific experience of having a friend executed, but at the same time the unshakable goodness with which he was imbued before his death.
Re-reading my first essay on the death penalty, which I interviewed Bronwyn for, I compared Van to Albert Camus' "tragic hero" from The Outsider, Meursault. Bronwyn had spoken of the bravery with which he faced his execution and the forgiveness and love that he bore for everyone, especially his murderers.
This almost Christ-like forgiveness is challenging to comprehend but certainly suggests that perhaps not all that arises from capital punishment is anger, hatred and weakness. Indeed, Camus would seem correct in suggesting that those who die beneath our revenge and conceit, like Meursault and Van, are martyrs of a higher truth, “a truth that is greater and superior to man”, and perhaps they are even the “only Christ we deserve”.
In hindsight, and it's a shame I didn't acknowledge this at the time, Meursault died with an existential disregard and apathy for this hypocritical human urge to kill, but also a complete and vitriolic rejection of any religion. Camus recognised this most basic contempt for humanity as an affirmation of the absurdity of capital punishment. I don't think the fact Van and Meursault are completely different in this respect negates my original comparison. Meursault almost demonstrates a sort of forgiveness borne of indifference whereas Van's is born of compassion. Regardless of the source, this forgiveness stands in stark contrast to an execution, an action that is "unrelenting and deliberate" and completely devoid of any understanding and compassion.
Quote of the day:
"But [now] his heart wasn't beating, he wasn't breathing, he felt so cold. It just wasn't right ... and all the world's humanity was lessened because of it."
- Bronwyn Lew
