He Too Was “Unbroken”

Mark Twain once wrote the following metaphor on forgiveness: 

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

Many of us have read the book, or seen the newly released movie, “Unbroken” which describes the incredible story of determination and forgiveness from Louis Zamporini as a prisoner of Japan in World War 2. The prison camps and death marches, the mistreatment of soldiers and natives and countless war crimes--all of this created deep wakes of sorrow felt by the nations that comprised the Allies. Thousands of American soldiers, like Zamporini, went missing in action and weren't rescued until after the war was over and after they had been made to endure extreme and cruel conditions. My Granddad, John Allen Knox was one of these soldiers who found it within themselves to not only survive the brutal conditions of several German P.O.W. camps, but also to display complete forgiveness toward the Germans that captured, tortured, and starved him and his comrades.

My granddad left a pattern for his progeny to follow. Raised in North Carolina on a large dairy and agriculture farm owned by the Knox family, my Granddad was taught from a young age to develop three things: a strong back, a stronger work ethic, and an even stronger will. Those three things served him well as he endured a horrible situation that no one should have to encounter. 

When I find myself despondent or negative about a challenge or circumstance that rises in my life, I often reflect back on his example of determination and forgiveness in World War 2. It’s a part of my family history that I keep in the fore-front of my mind. 

The Mafia and My Familia

It is hard to pinpoint the origins of the mafia, their whole existence is built on secrecy. One of the oldest mafias is the Camorra of Naples. They began at least 3 centuries ago, perhaps even more. They started by controlling gambling businesses, then branched out into other “activities”. Sometimes their gangs would be built along boundary lines, and sometimes along familial lines.

My own family line comes into contact with the mafia through my great grandfather. He was dropped off at an orphanage in Italy when he was only a week or two old. When he was nine years old the mafia bought him, sent him to the United States and made him pay them ten percent of all that he earned. He continued to pay them until the day he died.

On one hand it is easy to see the misdeeds that the mafia does, after all, my great grandfather paid them many times over for the money they spent to send him to the states. But on the other hand the mafia has played an essential role in helping many people, albeit in a roundabout way. As The Best of Sicily magazine puts it, “The Mafia was not a cause of Sicily's social problems so much as a reflection or symptom of them.” Without that mafia, my family would be locked in a downtrodden part of Italy.