A Vision for Peace

Meet Richard Moore.

Born in 1961, Moore grew up in the Creggan Estate, the hill located on the bogside of Derry.

It was a very beautiful and peaceful place to be raised, but what seemed like overnight, it became a warzone.

Riots occurred on a daily basis, IRA men were patrolling the streets, the smell of smoke was not unusual, and listening to bombs exploding was something that created an element of excitement.

The violence grew.

January 1972 marks a tragic day in history. 13 innocent people were shot dead on that Bloody Sunday, one of which was Moore’s uncle Gerard.

The violence was closer to home now.

“I can remember seeing the 13 coffins on the altar. It’s one of the [few] images I retained.”

Not long after Bloody Sunday, on May 4 1972, Moore was on his way home from school. He was about 10 feet away from a British army lookout post, and a British soldier fired a rubber bullet, which hit him in the bridge of the nose.

That moment changed everything.

“I lost my right eye and was permanently blinded in my left eye.”

At 10 years of age, Richard Moore had to come to terms with the fact that he would never see again.

While Richard Moore could have easily been angry and bitter towards the British soldier who shot him, and even been justified in it, Moore has chosen to take a different approach.

“I am a victim of the Northern Ireland conflict, but I refuse to be a victim of anger.”

A voice for change, Moore is a living example of the power of forgiveness in order to achieve long lasting peace. In his own words, forgiveness is “your ability to find peace and contentment, particularly when you have been hurt”. It was through forgiveness that Moore was able to open up his heart and mind to seeing Charles, the British soldier who shot him, as a human being. “It opens up a whole new world.” In fact, Moore has gone on to befriend Charles.

Moore made a point to say that in no way does he think what Charles did was right, but that does not mean he cannot forgive him. He went on to quote the Dalai Lama, saying “sometimes good people do bad things”. We must separate the action from the actor.

While I could go on about Richard Moore and the profound wisdom he shared with me, I will leave you with this message of hope from the man himself:

We hold the key ourselves to a peaceful world. It all starts within us.