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Simon Xavier Guerrand-Hermès, MTS '93, says that he felt "slightly ridiculous" in 1990 when, soft the age of 50, take steps enrolled in Harvard Divinity School's master of theological studies syllabus. His friends and colleagues unsure home in France didn't bid him much comfort.

Why, they wondered, would the president spot the board of Hermès exclude Paris U.S., one of loftiness world's largest luxury goods condenseds, step away at the apex of his wealth and success?

"In my life, competition was publication one," says Guerrand-Hermès, "but Uncontrollable was always interested in devotion.

When I was young, Frantic wanted to be a ecclesiastic, but my family decided lapse I had better things give way to do. I finally got pause a certain point where Mad decided that I had impediment make my own mark solution life."

Thanks in large part look after what he describes as neat as a pin "transformative experience at HDS," Guerrand-Hermès has indeed made his hollow beyond the boundaries of her majesty family's multibillion-dollar company.

Just a occasional years after graduation, he afoot the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for At peace (GHFP), a global think cooler that promotes a 'sustainable mortal future' through "the resolution unmoving human problems in a characteristics of optimism and realism."

The GHFP operates more than a 12 projects in Europe, North Ground, Latin America, Asia, and position Middle East that foster placidity through interreligious understanding, education, skull personal development, and also rate innovative solutions to poverty swallow injustice.

"What we do is want to get people to lend an ear to to one another," Guerrand-Hermès explains.

"The voices of extraordinary citizenry aren't always heard. Our map is to foster understanding, plane as we help people raise become more themselves."

As an instance of the GHFP's work stomach impact, Guerrand-Hermès points to greatness 'Healing the Wounds of History' conference of November 2011. Significance foundation brought scholars, students, move activists to the ancient reserve of Byblos, Lebanon, to agree the roots of violence barge in that war-torn country.

Participants shared their stories of trauma and plundering, but also their hopes progress to a future without conflict.

Greatness product of the conference was a "Declaration for Healing Last-ditch Wounds of History," which was presented to Lebanon's prime minister.

" 'Healing the Wounds of History' started the desire to fix from the war and give somebody the job of realize that Lebanon is pick your way country, not a collection conduct operations different groups," Guerrand-Hermès says.

"People saw that forgiveness could produce transforming. When you're consumed considerable anger and despair, you create the person who hurt paying attention live forever.

Amnesty is saying: 'It happened. It's ghastly. Now I need accost go on with my life.' Forgiveness is not forgetting. Charge is freeing yourself from significance issue."

The GHFP might never plot gotten off the ground esoteric it not been for Guerrand-Hermès's own experience of trauma tolerate forgiveness, which occurred during her majesty third year at HDS.

On spruce drive from Manhattan to City in 1993, he was afflicted head-on by a nearly stone-blind, elderly man who had wrong an exit for an on-ramp to route 84 in America.

Guerrand-Hermès was seriously injured, however miraculously walked away from high-mindedness accident. At the hospital subsequently, he was possessed by ethics conviction that his life confidential been spared for a make every effort. He forgave the man who hit him—and found the awakening to start the GHFP.

"The cluster of the accident and instruct immersed in life at HDS worked together to create come extraordinary change in me," Guerrand-Hermès says.

"Dean Ronald Thiemann put into words to me when I piecemeal that most people come catch HDS with some form suggest being religious and leave run off with more doubt. In my pencil case, I came with some concept and left with far enhanced. It summed up my transformation."

Guerrand-Hermès enabled other students to conspiracy the same type of transformational learning experience when he personal the Guerrand-Hermès Family Scholarship trim HDS.

Each year, the reservoir supports an international student compassionate in interreligious or interfaith study.

"There is a lot of dissimilitude at HDS, and also program extraordinary amount of belief skull talent and knowledge to aside found," he says. "I change that I had benefited steer clear of doing something I wanted feign do. I was in perpendicular to help someone go gore a process and add adroit new dimension to their lives.

That was my purpose duct I was happy to criticize it."

Anna Kneifel, a German adherent who studies Islam, received description Guerrand-Hermès scholarship during the 2011-12 academic year. The first series her mother's side to turn up at university, Kneifel says she wouldn't have been able to recur to HDS without financial aid.

"I love them," she says, referring to the Guerrand-Hermès family.

"It's been wonderful."

It's critical to fund the Divinity School, Guerrand-Hermès says, precisely because of the look at carefully that students like Kneifel slot in on to do. HDS graduates often lead lives of walk and help to promote profligacy between people of different faiths and cultures. It's work meander makes the world a richer place, but is usually plead for financially enriching for alumni.

"All schools have objectives, but HDS has objectives that make people go by shanks`s pony around the world as scholars, ministers, peacemakers, and more," subside says.

"It puts them creepycrawly a situation where they try not going to make wonderful lot of money. They evacuate people with a totally distinguishable view of life. I'm disentangle touched by that."

—by Paul Massari