The Power of Forgiveness
The Power of Forgiveness
The theme this month is around “Forgiveness” – and as we are starting a New Year, maybe this is a good time to examine whether there are areas in our lives where we are still holding negative emotions about things or people from our past. When we think about those situations does it bring up powerful feelings? Do we contemplate on how unfair and unjust that situation was?
One of the things we need to realize is that to be forgiving of the person or situation does not mean we think it was ok for them to act in a certain way. The perpetrator of the action rarely, if ever, lies in bed at night worrying about what they did. Their lives carry on but yours can be severely damaged and limit the way in which you lead your life.
Forgiveness is designed to help you – not the person or situation which has caused you so much anguish
In an article from Positive Psychology, it says ”Forgiveness is one of those things that you cannot touch or see but it is real. Forgiveness is so powerful that it changes a person's heart. It is important to forgive others for their wrongs so that they, and we, can be at peace and move on with our lives.
It may be tough to find our way to forgiveness if we’ve never practiced it before.
It is very much like asking someone who has never worked out to run a marathon. Many believe that children and adolescents should begin learning at a young age what forgiveness is and how people go about forgiving.
Teaching forgiveness is especially important to help reduce anger in children who have suffered injustice sufficient enough to compromise their emotional health.
Forgiveness can also help students, now and later as adults, forge stable and meaningful relationships without anger causing discord and division.
Finally, forgiveness can play a big part in how communities thrive when people begin to see more deeply the inherent worth of others.
Cultivating forgiveness is important because there are senseless crimes committed in a fit of anger where one brief moment can alter the course of many lives. People whose lives are affected by these crimes may not have the ability to forgive, thereby contributing to more resentment and anger in the world.
“One moment of anger can wipe out a lifetime of merit.”
A very powerful moving example of forgiveness is a Ted Talk by Megan Feldman in Boulder. “Forgiveness in an unforgiving world”.