“I had thought about forgiveness more and more...I knew it wasn't a light that could be switched on in an instant-it grew day by day, week by week, month by month-but something was changing inside me now during the hours when I sat alone and tried to calm my feelings. A seed had been sown, and I sensed that, just as I'd once faced a choice about whether to use violence on the night when I stared at the gun, I know had another choice: to remain trapped in the bitterness of the past or to find peace in the present.”
Emmanuel Jal“I am proof that one person can rise above any challenge, and if I can, then so will others if they are given the chance.”
Emmanuel Jal“Sometimes words are not needed, and the simplicity of expressing yourself through an art form is one of the best ways of communication.”
Emmanuel Jal“War destroys people's souls. Most people focus on physical injuries, but the invisible injuries can take a lifetime to heal and affects the lives of generations to come.”
Emmanuel Jal“Only a coward will use a gun to protect and get respect for themselves.”
Emmanuel Jal“I had thought about forgiveness more and more...I knew it wasn't a light that could be switched on in an instant-it grew day by day, week by week, month by month-but something was changing inside me now during the hours when I sat alone and tried to calm my feelings. A seed had been sown, and I sensed that, just as I'd once faced a choice about whether to use violence on the night when I stared at the gun, I know had another choice: to remain trapped in the bitterness of the past or to find peace in the present.”
Emmanuel Jal, War Child: A Child Soldier's Story