Inception

Inception is a 2010 American science fiction action film written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The film centers on Dom Cobb, a thief who enters the dreams of others to obtain information that is otherwise inaccessible. For a new twist in the plot, Cobb and his team of specialists are forced to plant an idea in a target's subconscious. The film's title refers to the task of planting an idea rather than stealing one, a concept that Cobb is less acquainted with.

The movie was not only a wonderful evening’s entertainment for my husband and I, but also a reminder of the power of a single idea.

As Cobb says, “What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.”

In the play Cobb says that it is harder to plant a negative idea, which they have been asked to do, rather than a positive idea, He says a positive idea is more receptive to most because everyone yearns for reconciliation. He gave the impression everyone wants peace over war, that the need to connect and be loved always takes precedence.

I don’t know. I hope he’s right.

I was introduced to Restorative Justice almost twenty years ago. From the very beginning it was presented to me as an "idea" rather than a program, as principles before practice.

Crime does immeasurable harm, not only because of the actual loss in the crime but the shattering of trust in other human beings, the introduction of fear and anger.

The restorative justice movement that has allowed many to think outside of the box, in this case to think outside the legalities and the rules to explore the issue of how one heals from a crime began with an idea in the form of a question. How does one restore trust in humanity? How do we live with an offender whom we might never know, but who still remains part of our lives? How can we let go of the past and move triumphantly and with dignity in our future?

For all of this we need a safe place to face our demons, scream out our pain and to have the freedom to find the answers.

“Reconciliation is to understand both sides; to go to one side and describe the suffering being endured by the other side, and then go to the other side and describe the suffering being endured by the first side.”
Thich Nhat Hanh