Choosing Forgiveness | Kim Phúc Phan Thị | TEDxVienna — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:01foreign
2. 0:09I am
3. 0:12a victim of War
4. 0:15I am a survivor
5. 0:19of violence
6. 0:21and I am an avocado for peace
7. 0:26[Applause]
8. 0:27[Music]
9. 0:33I grew up in a small village Chang Bank
10. 0:37in South Vietnam for the first nine
11. 0:42years of my life everything was perfect
12. 0:48and my parents had a beautiful home and
13. 0:52abundant of land with many different
14. 0:56fruit trees and animals I would spend my
15. 1:01days doing what every child loved to do
16. 1:07hang out with my friends and read the
17. 1:10book
18. 1:11and gossip with my gossip with my
19. 1:14girlfriends I would love to climb on the
20. 1:17tree to pick ripe delicious food my
21. 1:22favorite food was and still is a guava
22. 1:28oh how I cherished those days
23. 1:33my life was simple and easy I didn't
24. 1:38know much about pain or hardship
25. 1:43the most pain that I experiences
26. 1:47when I
27. 1:48fall off my bicycle and hurt my knees
28. 1:54I was absolutely
29. 1:58to the evils of the world
30. 2:01and
31. 2:04particularly
32. 2:07the wrenching war that had been
33. 2:11happened
34. 2:12going on in my country for years
35. 2:19on June 8th
36. 2:2119
37. 2:2472.
38. 2:26the chaos of War wreted my peaceful
39. 2:30Village and my life
40. 2:33was forever changed
41. 2:37my family some South Vietnamese soldiers
42. 2:42and some
43. 2:44fellow villagers had been hiding in the
44. 2:47local temple after enemy soldiers had
45. 2:52driven us from our homes and occupied
46. 2:57them
47. 2:59some of the South Vietnamese soldiers
48. 3:01with us and heard that an airstrike
49. 3:06was called to our local location
50. 3:12so we instructed to run from the temple
51. 3:19as I ran
52. 3:20down the highway one
53. 3:25from the temple temple Courtyard I heard
54. 3:29the rower of
55. 3:31a plane coming towards me and I located
56. 3:37it and I saw four black canisters fall
57. 3:43from its belly suddenly
58. 3:49and then I heard the noise
59. 3:52of the
60. 3:55whole haunting noise
61. 3:58that stay with me
62. 4:01wow
63. 4:04to this day
64. 4:11then
65. 4:13I saw
66. 4:15suddenly the fire was everywhere around
67. 4:19me
68. 4:22and the fire
69. 4:24was burned off my clothes
70. 4:28and I saw the fires
71. 4:31over my arms
72. 4:34and then I used my right hand
73. 4:37I jet
74. 4:40wipe it off
75. 4:42that's why my right hand
76. 4:44got burnt as well
77. 4:51I
78. 4:53this is a
79. 4:55miracle that my feet won't burn
80. 4:59so
81. 5:00in shock
82. 5:02still and I was so
83. 5:06terrified
84. 5:08then I ran out of that fire
85. 5:12and then I saw my brothers
86. 5:14and I saw my cousin
87. 5:17and some of the soldiers there
88. 5:20then
89. 5:22they we kept running and running
90. 5:26and then
91. 5:32I have I have to remember that
92. 5:35in that moment
93. 5:38I was running on the
94. 5:40the road
95. 5:44you know
96. 5:47I was naked
97. 5:51and
98. 5:57so
99. 6:00confusing
100. 6:02and then I just keep
101. 6:08repeating over and over
102. 6:12too hot too hot
103. 6:16then the tragedy
104. 6:18that
105. 6:20was caught on film
106. 6:23and this is
107. 6:24when the AP photographer he took the
108. 6:30picture he was at nickut he was working
109. 6:34with the Associated Press
110. 6:38and he took that photo
111. 6:47that iconic photo
112. 6:50that should
113. 6:53shock the world
114. 6:58I learned later
115. 7:01Nick Ood
116. 7:03he put down his camera and he rushed me
117. 7:06to the nearest hospital
118. 7:09he saved my life
119. 7:13after that picture taken
120. 7:16I continued to run on the road
121. 7:21and then
122. 7:22I passed out
123. 7:27and I learned later Nick Ood he put down
124. 7:31his camera and he rushed me to the
125. 7:34nearest hospital
126. 7:36he saved my life
127. 7:41my recovery was so long
128. 7:46and difficult
129. 7:4814 months
130. 7:51in the hospital
131. 7:53and 17 operations
132. 7:56later
133. 8:00I entered back into the world with the
134. 8:04only one goal in my mind
135. 8:08I wanted to become a doctor
136. 8:11I have spent
137. 8:13so much time with the doctors and nurses
138. 8:18and I wanted to become just like them
139. 8:21I wanted to help
140. 8:24others
141. 8:26just as I was helped
142. 8:31well I was never able to achieve this
143. 8:36dream
144. 8:38my photograph had become incredibly
145. 8:41famous and after being discovered as the
146. 8:46subject
147. 8:48of that photo
148. 8:50I was used by the government as
149. 8:54propaganda
150. 8:56and my freedom
151. 8:58was stripped away I no longer had
152. 9:03privacy and works of all I was taking
153. 9:08away from my study
154. 9:11crossing my dream of becoming a doctor
155. 9:17I was so angry
156. 9:21not only did I suffer nightmares and
157. 9:26Trauma from that faithful
158. 9:29day
159. 9:30but
160. 9:32I was so also consumed by anger and
161. 9:38bitterness why
162. 9:39why
163. 9:41did I have to suffer like this
164. 9:45I would never be able to find to have
165. 9:48friends and find love eventually and
166. 9:52start a family with mine this fig this
167. 9:58freaking pen
168. 10:02oh
169. 10:04I would cause those who had wronged me
170. 10:09and ruined my life
171. 10:12my misery
172. 10:15often led me to the dark places where I
173. 10:19felt taking my life as the only option
174. 10:24out of the mystery I was in
175. 10:33why did I have to endure this much
176. 10:36suffering why this I didn't choose it I
177. 10:41wasn't in the healthy place
178. 10:44I knew that if I was to continue to live
179. 10:50something had to change
180. 10:53and all those my burn scars
181. 10:58uh on my body were treated
182. 11:02I had not yet treated
183. 11:06the wounds I bought in my heart
184. 11:10just like my the napalm anger and
185. 11:16bitterness consume me and threaten
186. 11:19to burn up my soul
187. 11:23I began to search for the purpose in my
188. 11:27life and I discover Jesus through a
189. 11:32Bible in a la a local library and he
190. 11:37taught radical forgiveness and I could
191. 11:41not understand why nor did I feel that I
192. 11:46could do what he taught
193. 11:49it wasn't easy but that day
194. 11:53I started
195. 11:55my journey of forgiveness
196. 11:59together with Jesus
197. 12:02I knew that if I were to find peace in
198. 12:07the life of chaos that I Endure I would
199. 12:11have to let go of the dark anger and
200. 12:15bitterness that had taking over
201. 12:20my heart
202. 12:26well my fear of losing out on love would
203. 12:32not last long
204. 12:34a few years later I was able to find my
205. 12:39husband and the love of my life torn in
206. 12:44Cuba
207. 12:48I think he's a here somewhere here with
208. 12:52us
209. 12:53today
210. 13:08after our wedding
211. 13:12we at the government gave us the
212. 13:15permission to go to
213. 13:18Moscow
214. 13:20can you believe it in Moscow honeymoon
215. 13:25but
216. 13:28that is a great opportunity for us
217. 13:32on the way back to
218. 13:34Cuba
219. 13:36our plane stopped in Gander Newfoundland
220. 13:42where we make a risky decision to stay
221. 13:47in Canada
222. 13:49I was done with being controlled and
223. 13:53stripped up my freedoms
224. 13:56I knew nothing about Canada except that
225. 14:00it was cold
226. 14:03had the pretty flag and most importantly
227. 14:07free that that is all I needed to know
228. 14:13we all we had was each other
229. 14:18and
230. 14:19the clothes on our backs
231. 14:22but
232. 14:23we didn't care
233. 14:26we were finally free
234. 14:29after
235. 14:31settling settling into our new home
236. 14:35Toronto Canada
237. 14:38I was so excited
238. 14:41however I soon realized that I wasn't
239. 14:46completely free
240. 14:49as much as I tried to hide from it my
241. 14:54picture followed me to the other side of
242. 14:58the world
243. 14:59I was discovered as the little girl in
244. 15:04the picture or the Napalm girl so
245. 15:09that same fear anger and bitterness took
246. 15:16an even stronger
247. 15:18drip my on me
248. 15:22I was now a mother
249. 15:28and having started my own little family
250. 15:32and I determined to be free of the
251. 15:37chains of the past of my past and the
252. 15:40trauma that came with this
253. 15:42and I knew that to be free I would
254. 15:46eventually need to find a way to deal
255. 15:51with that photo
256. 15:52and let go of my heart hurt and forgive
257. 15:58those who had caused my suffering
258. 16:03I thought of my child and how I wanted
259. 16:07to make a difference in this world where
260. 16:11he could be free and not suffer the way
261. 16:17I the same way I did
262. 16:21first I choose to change my perspective
263. 16:24on that photo
264. 16:27instead of seeing it
265. 16:30as a curse
266. 16:32I began to see it as a blessing
267. 16:37it became a powerful gift for me to work
268. 16:40for peace
269. 16:43then eventually I found the I started
270. 16:47the Kim Foundation International
271. 16:50and our Focus
272. 16:55and um
273. 16:59unhappy children of war and those who
274. 17:02are privileged around the world and also
275. 17:06I am now UNESCO Goodwin Ambassador for
276. 17:11peace
277. 17:12and lead efforts to make this world a
278. 17:17more peaceful and better place
279. 17:20the secondly
280. 17:24I learned to get rid of the darkness
281. 17:28that I had
282. 17:30harbored in my heart
283. 17:34I was not given
284. 17:37a choice to suffer as I did
285. 17:40but I learned that
286. 17:43I always had the choice
287. 17:46to be thankful
288. 17:49pain is a normal response to trauma
289. 17:54with this pain I had allowed my heart to
290. 18:00be consumed by anger and bitterness
291. 18:05my life was drastically
292. 18:08changed after I was able to let go of
293. 18:14the bitterness that had burdened my soul
294. 18:19for so long
295. 18:21finally I was completely free free to
296. 18:26live
297. 18:28and free
298. 18:30to have peace and joy in my heart
299. 18:35well
300. 18:37war is still a reality and my life's
301. 18:42goal is to keep sharing the message
302. 18:48of Peace Love and Hope
303. 18:52War continues to ravage people's life
304. 18:57just like this did mine
305. 19:01I'm we know this all too well with the
306. 19:07current fight between
307. 19:10Russia and Ukraine
308. 19:13this year is this uh
309. 19:18I was it was my privilege to fly to
310. 19:22Europe
311. 19:24two different times
312. 19:26and welcome
313. 19:29Ukraine's refugee
314. 19:32to say tea and
315. 19:34freedom in Canada
316. 19:39as I stood
317. 19:41in the plane's entrance and welcome each
318. 19:46Refugee to my wonderful country
319. 19:50I remember
320. 19:52fighting back tears as I look at
321. 19:56into each phase
322. 20:00I had been in their shoes
323. 20:05running from chaos and War
324. 20:10and now I am
325. 20:13I was able to give them hope
326. 20:19I may never be able to help others as a
327. 20:25doctor but I am now able to help others
328. 20:31through this photo and
329. 20:36that I hated
330. 20:39for so long
331. 20:49friends
332. 20:52I asked you I asked you that you no
333. 20:57longer
334. 20:58see this little girl
335. 21:01in the picture
336. 21:03with her arms stretched out
337. 21:06crying in fear pain and agony
338. 21:12but rather I ask
339. 21:16you
340. 21:19to see her
341. 21:21arms
342. 21:22stretch out
343. 21:25calling
344. 21:27for peace
345. 21:29Love and Hope
346. 21:33[Applause]
347. 21:40[Music]
348. 21:42[Applause]