I think that it's difficult up the significance of someone like Wim Lindeijer:

Someone who came to terms with his childhood wartime trauma with not only emotion and energy, but also rationality - so that he was able to communicate with and stimulate people in Kamaishi, Japan to acknowledge and come to terms with their own wartime history.

He was that rare sufferer of trauma who was not only able to go on, but to become an agent of change.

He made himself vulnerable by speaking calmly and openly about the pain of his loss, and even going so far as asking forgiveness for the hatred it brought out in him.

By doing so, he created a safe space for empathy and understanding on the part of his former enemies. And he did this in the manner of a Nelson Mandela, recognizing that Truth (and acknowledgement) always have to accompany Reconciliation.

Lastly, I think that Wim managed to do this by passionately using a combination of all the dimensions of his personality: emotional, rational, even subconscious (based on a dream he shared with me). And I must say - his faith.

Thank you, Wim.