Corroborated Factual Record

Contested facts often lie at the heart of moral injuries. From the outset, apologies stand a better chance of bearing significant meaning if the offender and the offended share an understanding of the facts relevant to the transgression at issue. Although our interpretations of events may evolve over our lifetimes, much of our understanding of our selves and our world results from piecing together ambiguous fragments of information into a moral narrative. Not only do we want to understand what happened after a confusing or traumatic event, but we also want the offender to share our understanding. With this, my version of events becomes more than my biased perspective. In truth and reconciliation tribunals, for instance, establishing an official account corroborating victims' claims provides a primary function of the proceedings. Family members want to know how their loved ones suffered or died, who pulled the trigger, who issued the orders, and other information relevant to their understanding of the injury. Such information not only allows victims to reconstruct and judge the transgressions, but it can serve to memorialize the event and elevate its status above rumor and hearsay. Confronting this record can also bring offenders to appreciate the full gravity of the injury, awakening them to the reality and scale of suffering at issue. Denial and minimization become increasingly difficult.