With or without any religious association, forgiveness is said to be the key to inner peace. Bearing a grudge or harboring bitterness in one’s heart for a fault committed by another is one of the reasons for the elusiveness of peace. The failure or rejection of forgiveness is also known to wreck havoc on the health and well-being of people.
What is Forgiveness?
When a person decides to forgive a wrongdoer, it is tantamount to letting go of any grudge and resentment towards a person who has inflicted pain and suffering. It is probably one of the most difficult things to do for a human being. The rewards however of doing it are greater in terms of achieving peace in one’s self.
It is a common philosophy for people to think that forgiveness cannot be given to those who do not ask for it. There will always be people who will not be sorry for the wrong they have done, or at least not yet, but should that hold the hurt person hostage to the pain? Some religions ask the faithful to forgive the unforgivable, not mainly for the sake of those who inflicted harm but more of a way for hurt people to go on with their lives.
Life Goes On
It is a fact that life goes on whether people are hurting or not. People who refuse or are unable to forgive tend to be left behind as they wallow in pity and hurt or entertain thoughts of revenge. There is a need to go beyond this after the period of crying and grieving for hurting people to catch up with life.
Forgiveness gives way for compassion and kindness to prevail. It opens up a person into accepting what can no longer be changed and to go in with life as a much better person who has conquered insurmountable difficulties. Forgiveness is a form of triumph.
Defining Life
People end up defining their life by the decisions they make. Deciding to forgive requires a conscious effort not to go back to the cause of pain for the purpose of reliving it but more for the purpose of learning from it. A person whose philosophy in life revolves around peace would need to be able to practice forgiveness to be truly peaceful.
Originally posted on August 2, 2019 @ 2:37 pm