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Forgiveness News
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Welcome to our community newsletter, where we can share and focus on forgiveness.
Also Forgiveness
This evening, the group was discussing relationships. One woman in the group was
said that she did not want to fight with her husband the way her parents did.
The group leader suggested that fighting can be healthy and normal in a
relationship. It can be unhealthy to expect that there be no fighting.
As a reminder, he mentioned Fun, Friendship and Fighting.
On my way home from the group meeting, thinking about what some of the group
members had discussed I would add Forgiveness to that list. Both forgiveness of
oneself and one's partner.
I am able to be grateful when I forgive
I was writing a list of things that I am grateful for.
Life,
Excellent health, Family, Friends, The
freedom I enjoy, Warm sunshine, Stars in the sky at night...
See
http://givetogive.info/gratitude.htm
As I wrote, I smiled began to feel joyful and relaxed. However my writing began
to slow down as I thought of somebody who I was still angry at. I was having
difficulty seeing him as somebody to be grateful for. My attitude of gratitude
was fading. I then thought of a previous article "Gratitude is a path to
forgiveness", and the possibility of also forgiving him for what he had done. As
I began to forgive him, I became grateful not only for him, but also from the
lessons I had learned from what had happened. My joy, my smile and my attitude
of gratitude returned.
"I forgive you"
I was assisting my boss installing a plasma television on a wall bracket
in a customer's house.
He recommended that I drill out the mounting holes in the bracket so the bolts
could be put in easily.
I only drilled out two of the holes, and as a result we could not fit all four
bolts. I apologized, and he said "I forgive you".
I felt pleasantly surprised. I was grateful for his generosity in accepting my
apology and holding no resentment. I felt relieved to discover that the matter
was now complete. I had learned from my mistake, and he had moved on to the next
task.
He has inspired me by his example saying "I forgive you" in a way that shows he
really means it.
The power of forgiveness
I often hear people speak of the need to punish offenders. Yet I often
wonder what purpose punishment really serves. I know for example that if a
person steals something from me, I am likely to feel angry, and want to strike
back at that person. However such violence does not seem to bring me peace. It
rarely resolves anything, and I do not really get deep satisfaction from seeing
him be punished. I do have a desire to see the person caught and confronted
regarding the impact of what he did, and would like him to not offend again. By
forgiving, I can let go of my anger and my desire to punish. It frees me to
think about ways to make a difference, possibly reducing the likelihood of more
offences.
I probably also would benefit for forgiving myself for my part in having had the
offence happen. I am more likely to find useful answers to questions such as
"why did I not arrange better security" if I forgive.
See also
http://peterpullar.com/overcomming_violence.htm
Forgiveness and communication
My friend invited me to the guest evening at the end of the communication course
that she was attending. I heard several participants share about the results
they had already got from communicating with people in their lives. When the
word "forgiveness" was mentioned, I listened in anticipation of hearing
something new. The leader suggested that to forgive is to give as before. I
immediately saw how I sometimes allow things which happened in the past stand in
the way of my communication. Whenever I am unwilling to fully forgive, I do to
some extent communicate resentment, judgment, hurt, disappointment or anger.
No matter what I say to that person who I have not fully forgiven, he or she is
still likely to sense that something is missing from my communication.
If I do forgive, I am able to be in the present moment instead of being stuck in
the past. New conversations are then possible. We can communicate more freely.
Forgiveness worked for us!
My wife tried many times unsuccessfully. As I solemnly tried to find the
cause, it dawned on me that it was due to a grudge we held against her uncle.
He was the cause of the whole problem and so we always blamed him for the
failure.
However , as soon as we decided to forgive him , we felt the success even before
experiencing it . We felt liberated and light . We spoke with him as if he had
not offended us at all : in fact we demonstrated this by calling him regularly
and speaking with his wife and child as well.
When my wife tried again after our resolution of forgiveness, we were more than
successful .
The forgiveness in practice really worked for us ! We could not have had an
alternative !
Contributed article from a Forgiveness News subscriber.
Forgive and forget?
My friend said that the forgetting is more important than the forgiving.
I immediately thought of
Suzie and Otto's
article "Forgive and Forget? We Don't Think So!". I asked my friend if he
meant dealing with the emotions that I feel about what happened in the past. I
said we don't forget what happened, yet we can change our emotional response to
those times we recall what happened in the past.
As I thought about that conversation, it occurred to me that the intellectual
exercise of forgiving is nowhere near as powerful as forgiving also from the
heart.
Have you forgiven your mother?
When I was asked that question, my immediate reply was "yes".
The person who asked me the question doubted that I had. She said that I was
projecting all that I had not forgiven my mother for on to her.
It is true. I do not look back at my experience of childhood as a joyful
experience. I do have more empathy and understanding of Lesley, my mother than I
did years ago. I know that she remained true to her values through many
difficult times. I also know that some of her values are different from my own.
I also miss the opportunity to be with her, since she died some years ago. I
also know that as a father, I have put my daughter through some awful
experiences. There have also been many great times.
It seems to me that I have not fully forgiven myself. Chances are that I am
likely to have to the same extent not forgiven other people in my life.
Forgiving debts
After considering this subject for many months, it seems to me that there are at
least two parties involved in each transaction. So often I hear of lenders
accusing borrowers of not being responsible, yet not being responsible
themselves for their own part in the transaction. A lender's responsibility
includes managing his own risk. Blaming another person, I believe, is not
being responsible.
Often there is more opportunity for both borrowers and lenders to learn if they
are willing to forgive each other for their part in any problems that arise in
the transaction. We all make mistakes. There will always be at least some
errors of judgment. We may overlook some important details. I believe there is
much more value in learning from our mistakes than there is in blaming others or
ourselves for the time things do not turn out as expected.
I like forgiving people.
Not only do I enjoy being around people who forgive. I also enjoy forgiving.
I find those people who are willing to accept the realities of life without
holding grudges, resentments, hurt and anger to be such a joy to be around. If
they are facing difficult challenges in their lives, I find their ability
to forgive an inspiration. I see opportunities for me to learn to more willingly
accept the difficulties that I face in my own life. As I learn, I am more able
to appreciate life and to contribute to others in their time of need.
Maybe there is really nothing to forgive.
As I forgive people in my life who I thought I had issues with, I often think
"there is nothing to forgive. "
I was listening to a woman talking about Colin Tipping and Radical Forgiveness.
She said "maybe we have nothing to forgive. All we have is our judgment about
what happened (we are probably judging it as wrong or bad). And we have our lack
of gratitude or appreciation for the strengths and lessons we gain from what
happened." I often have difficulty accepting that point of view. However as I
read Colin's book "Radical Forgiveness", and do the forgiveness exercises, I can
easily enjoy the freedom, joy and peace that I experience as I think that way.
Why not forgive?
I have heard many reasons for not forgiving. Some of mine were "he has not yet
displayed any remorse" or "I shouldn't have done what I did."
Other common ones are "how could you possibly forgive anybody for such a crime?"
or "if I forgive her, she will probably just commit the same offence again."
Yet I feel inspired as I hear the words of those who do forgive. The woman who
forgave the man who had killed her daughter. Instead of focusing on her loss,
she began creating a future. She led her community's feelings about her
daughter's untimely death away from vengeance and toward creating a safer
environment.
As I read about our traditional retributive justice system that punishes
offenders, I compare that with the Restorative Justice alternative. I see that
withholding my forgiveness is making re-offending more likely. Not less.
Similarly my unwillingness to forgive myself only causes more pain. It does not
cause me to improve my habits and behaviors.
Forgiveness allows me to let go of past hurts and resentments. I don't want them
myself, and people I speak with say they don't either. Yet some people are still
unwilling to forgive.
Why?
Forgiving myself.
I was repairing an audio amplifier at work. I am an experienced electronic
technician, however I was having great difficulty with this particular repair
job. When I had replaced all the damaged components, I tested the amplifier. It
was working well. However as I switched it off, a small puff of smoke came out
of one component. It had failed, and I discovered that many parts had been
damaged by the failure. I was feeling extremely disappointed. I felt frustrated
as I thought about what to do next. I had already spent much more time and
money's worth of components than the unit was worth. I wished that I had never
started that repair.
Rather than risk wasting even more of my employer's money, I chose to give up
any hope of completing the repair. I rang the customer, and he was disappointed
that he was not going to get what he expected for the money he had already paid
for a previous repair to the unit. I informed my manager, and he was
disappointed that I had spent so much time and money on a repair that he was now
not going to be paid for. I was also giving myself a hard time, blaming myself
for the outcome.
I then thought about how I would feel if for example a car mechanic found my car
uneconomical to repair after I had already spent money on it. I realized that I
would probably be more accepting of his failure to deliver what I wanted. I
actually experienced a broken timing belt in a Honda car a few years ago, and
paid for fitting a replacement, only to discover that the car was not worth
repairing. I held no grudge against the mechanic. Why, I thought was I so
unwilling to forgive myself?
Forgiving our parents.
As I listen to people speaking of their relationships with their parents, I hear
that almost all people desire more affinity, acceptance, love and relatedness
than they are currently experiencing.
I see many actions that they could take to achieve the satisfaction that they
want. Adam could let go of his expectation that his mother accept the lifestyle
he and his partner have chosen. Betty could stop trying to make her mother be
more like her. Catherine could stop blaming herself for her mother's sadness.
Danny could stop blaming his mother for his frustrations. Edward could stop
accusing his brother for having more than a fair share of his father's love. If
each of these people were to focus more on forgiving themselves and their
parents, their relationship with their parents could be far more satisfying.
Such a change is likely to impact almost all of the other relationships in each
of these peoples' lives.
Gratitude as a path to forgiveness.
There are times somebody does something that I dislike and I am not at all
grateful. For example when some kind soul tidied up the room and I could not
find that piece of paper that I left on the table with a phone number on it. I
was upset instead of being grateful. I was complaining about somebody instead of
appreciating the gesture and also learning to create a more effective system for
recording important information. As I changed my attitude, I became grateful for
the room being tidied. I thought about how much more easily I could find things
in an uncluttered space. I forgave myself for being careless with the
information, leaving it where it could easily get lost. After forgiving, I was
able to wholeheartedly thank the person who cleaned the room. Did I find the
phone number? Sometimes I learn my lessons the hard way!.
Forgiveness challenge.
I enjoy being around some of my friends. They are generous. they are supportive.
They are really up to something in their own lives. I admit that I often shut
out other people. I am reluctant to give some people of my time.
Two people have recently challenged me to forgive other people for being where
they are at in their lives. They have invited me to consider spending time,
having a meal with, or even allowing into my home some people who I would have
been reluctant to consider. So far I have only been forgiving and considering
the possibility of allowing others in to my life.
We always need to forgive.
As I hear people speak of what they imagine would be a perfect world, I see
descriptions of many different worlds. As we all currently live on one planet,
there are many conflicts as most peoples' vision for the world in some
ways conflicts with other peoples' vision. I have often discovered that an idea
or a vision that I previously did not accept, is in fact valuable and useful.
Some of the ideals which I previously cherished, I have learned to let go of, as
I learn more about life. I know that I always have a choice. I can remain at war
with people who believe differently from me. Or I can forgive them and forgive
myself for our differences. I can of course also go beyond that and really
appreciate the variety and aliveness that these differences bring to our lives.
Forgiving - an answer to my question.
I used to often ask myself the question "Am I OK? I had my doubts, and was often
looking for reassurance. I have recently discovered that I would get more of the
results I want for myself in my life by asking a more useful question such as
"how can I share my acceptance and love more with others? As I ask myself this
new question, I see many great opportunities for me to enjoy contributing more
to people. A friendly greeting, a smile, a conversation or sharing about
forgiveness are some ways I can enjoy sharing more with others.
Forgiving our parents.
As I look back at my own childhood years I remember times I visited the homes of
my friends. I usually thought "I would love to live in this family instead of
living with my own parents." I even preferred boarding school and did not look
forward to the holidays. I now know my mother was doing her very best to be a
good parent. My father, as he said, considered that my mother was doing more
than enough for both parents, and chose to be less involved in parenting. As I
have learned more about my parents' beliefs and values, I can more easily
forgive them for the way they raised me. As I forgive them, I can more and more
appreciate and be grateful for the strengths I have gained from my childhood.
With this gratitude, I can enjoy life and contribute more to others.
You cannot have a great relationship unless
you fully forgive.
I was talking with my daughter. She was very upset and did not want to speak
with me. I noticed some of my thoughts such as "after driving over an hour to
visit you I would have expected..." I was actually thinking about myself instead
of being with her. I quickly forgave myself for thinking that thought. I forgave
her for not talking with me. There were not many words after that. Each of those
few words were so powerful. I smiled as I drove home feeling joyful and
satisfied.
Other sources of forgiveness news.
While reading the pages of this newsletter does have value, I believe that it is
important to not overlook other important sources of forgiveness news. When
faced by somebody who seems to be unwilling to forgive you, could that be a sign
that you have not fully forgiven him or her?
Or is it a sign that there is somebody else in your life that you have not
forgiven? .
Your mother? Your father? Yourself?
Or could it be an opportunity to stop judging that person who you see as
unforgiving, and for you to be more compassionate towards him or her.
We feel more alive as we forgive.
There are times when I feel angry and hurt about what somebody did to me.
There are times when I feel disappointed or guilty about what I have done.
I do not feel so alive when I feel those feelings continuously for a long period
of time.
I feel more alive when I feel a variety of different feelings.
I may feel happy. I may feel sad for a little while. I could feel scared at
times, or feel excited.
I can move on from the anger and hurt by forgiving that somebody.
I can end that disappointment and guilt by forgiving myself.
Then after forgiving I can feel the greatest happiness, joy, love and
excitement.
Forgiveness and
families
One of the major causes of family breakdown is a lack of forgiveness. I admit to
having caused breakdown in my own family by my own unforgiveness.
As family members interact with each other, upsets can occur. That is almost
avoidable. However the upsets can be resolved. Family members can forgive each
other and live harmoniously. Unless they resolve issues and forgive, resentment
will build.
We see so many examples of family members refusing to speak with each other.
Husband and wife being angry or disappointed with each other or with their
children. Adults remaining unfriendly towards their parents.
All of these relationships can be restored to at least some extent by following
the forgiveness process.
It seems as though other family members change for the better when I forgive. I
do not have to wait for them to work on forgiveness for the relationships to
heal. I can begin the process anytime, the sooner the better!
Letter about
forgiveness
Our modern psychology places so much emphasis on the nurturing capabilities of
parents and the effects on the child's psyche. I do feel that this is
extraordinarily narrow thinking since significant others in a child's life
include siblings, grandparents and other rellies, day carers and teachers.
Additional to these relationship experiences is the relationship of the child
with the community.
My personal process in my life journey has now reached the stage of coming to
terms with my childhood experience of covert exclusion from community. There
will no doubt be quite some forgiveness work to be explored here.
I've been reminded recently that a wounding experience in childhood often leads
an adult life of exceptional motivation to both heal that wound within self and
assist others of similar experience to do so as well. And so, I've spent a lot
of years now working on woundings at a personal level and very involved in
activities that encourage cohesive joyful loving community.
But how to complete the forgiveness process when the exclusion I experienced as
a child was a result of the religious prejudices of a highly conservative
community directed against my parents? I just "happened" to be tarred with the
same brush by birth.
Claiming the feelings of shame and loneliness as a child is my pathway of
healing. I also see that I am able to better understand the pressures that my
parents experienced, and how this has impacted on their capacity and ability to
nurture their children.
So it seems very important to me now that we explore our childhood experiences
within the context of the tone of the community in which we were raised.
I'd appreciate hearing others' experiences of community in childhood and how
this has shaped their lives.
Please do share this email with the forgiveness network.
Warm regards
Ilyhana
You can post a reply on
http://forgivenessnews.blogspot.com (anonymously if you want)
or email peter@forgivenessnews.com
Examples of forgiveness
As I listen to many of the conversations around me I notice a lack of
forgiveness. There is a common belief that forgiving a person will only
encourage him to offend again. Often we may tell our friends how we have been
badly treated by somebody, and our friends are all too willing to sympathize,
leaving us remaining as powerless victims.
Yet there are some people who are more willing to be responsible for their
lives. They see even some of the most shocking events as opportunities to learn,
to grow, and to contribute. They do not wallow in self pity. They may
passionately create projects that deal with the root causes of problems.
For example those who support restorative justice, a system where the offender
faces the victim in a facilitated conference, allowing the possibility of making
amends, seeing more into each others lives, resolving issues and reducing the
chances of more offences. They may not always achieve the desired results,
however they do have the personal satisfaction of having done all they can to
forgive and complete the past.
.
How do you feel about forgiveness?
As I hear different people speak about forgiveness, I observe various feelings.
Pain and sadness from a lack of forgiveness or from the past. Relief and joy
from having been forgiven, or having forgiven somebody. Happiness and pleasure
from healing of relationships. Aliveness from communicating freely with family
members and others. I feel excited as I love to see and hear more about
forgiveness, and to share that with others.
Forgiving
I enjoy reading about forgiveness. I smile as I hear of people who have been
forgiven. I love hearing people tell me about their own experience of having
forgiven.
Yet sometimes I do miss the greatest joy. I am spending so much time reading
about forgiveness and listening to others telling me about forgiving and not
spending so much of my time forgiving.
I get to experience the real benefits of forgiveness by applying what I learn
about forgiveness. I learn the most about forgiveness by forgiving. There may be
somebody I could forgive. I may have to confront my fears to face somebody with
whom I have an issue, and speak to him face to face to really forgive him. It
would be wise for me to have some supportive friends as I do that. It would also
useful for me to have a counsellor who I can call as I do not know what
thoughts, feelings and emotions I will experience, or how he or I will respond.
Are there some things I have done that I could forgive myself for? I can be more
honest with myself and others as I forgive myself and admit to what I have done
in the past. I feel relief and freedom as I do that
Why do I write about forgiveness?
A friend asked me why I wrote about forgiveness so often. He said "It would take
a lot of time and effort to do that."
I love sharing the joy of forgiveness with others. I am thankful to those who
taught me to forgive. I hate seeing people missing out on joy, love and
relatedness in their life because of unforgiveness. I used to be
unforgiving, and I thank my family and friends for teaching me about forgiveness
and encouraging me to forgive. I enjoy passing on that spirit of forgiveness to
others.
Forgiveness letter.
"I had not spoken to him for at least 7 years. I had felt angry, and I had
refused to communicate with him ever again. Recently I began to realize that my
attitude towards him was causing me unnecessary pain. I wrote a letter to him,
forgiving him for what he had done all those years ago. I was feeling peaceful
and relieved after having written the letter. I felt uncomfortable as I thought
about taking it to the mailbox to post it. It had been a difficult letter to
write, as I had such painful memories. I was also feeling some guilt about
having shut him out of my life. I was glad to have completed it, though I may
not send it. I will call him instead."
.
Forgiveness improves the quality of
relationships.
When I entered their house I felt uneasy as I sensed the disharmony. Even though
the man and his wife warmly greeted me and welcomed me into their home, I could
sense that all was not well between them. They were not communicating with each
other. He was complaining to me about women in general. I don't think he has
forgiven his mother! He certainly was not forgiving his wife for not meeting his
expectations of her. I believe that she also was very unwilling to forgive him.
I sensed her anger and frustration, though she did not tell me her grievances.
I much preferred visiting other houses, where I experienced people being more
forgiving of themselves and of each other. They are able to communicate much
more effectively, and are more willing to grow and learn from each other.
.
.
Others forgive me more when I
forgive myself.
A friend recommended that I forgive myself more. At first I was reluctant to do
that. I thought that I had good self discipline, however I later began to
realize that in fact I was often just being hard on myself. I was not
forgiving myself for some of my mistakes and failures. I had unrealistic
expectations of myself. I would get upset when I did not meet those
expectations. As I started being more forgiving towards myself, I noticed that
other people began to be more forgiving towards me.
Forwarded email mentions
forgiveness.
I was sent an email. I
laughed as I read it. It is an imaginary conversation between Technical Support
and a Customer.
I sometimes wish I could get those results as quickly in real life as the
customer did in that call.
It includes the following instructions for "turning off Grudge and
Resentment"
"Tech Support: ...... invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary
until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done!"
Forgiving to be free of the past
I used to feel angry at some people who were just being friendly and helpful. I
eventually discovered that I was really angry about some other people from much
earlier in my life, and my rage was being triggered by ways that I was reminded
of those people from my past. Since I have been forgiving each of the people
from my earlier years, those angry feelings have gone. I can still get angry at
people at times. However it is now much less often and is usually directly
related to what is happening now.
.
Forgiving rules!
It is nice. It is nice to be forgiven. It is nice to forgive. The sense of
accomplishment after doing the sometimes difficult work of forgiving has often
brought satisfaction to me in addition to the joy of healing relationships. The
feeling of relief as I let go of what happened in the past and the excitement
and anticipation as I see the possibility of a future that I previously would
never have imagined possible.
.
Forgiving him for
arriving late
I again arrived late at work. I was upset, and annoyed that I did not arrive on
time. I had no excuses such as heavy traffic to blame for my lateness. I had
expected myself to be on time. I knew that I had chosen to do a few extra tasks
at home before going to work. But instead of accepting the results my own
decision, I was being upset that I was not on time. I then thought about
some of the other people there, and the comments they make whenever anybody
arrives late. I noticed that they do not always forgive those who arrive late. I
was not forgiving myself for being late. However the unforgiving attitude does
not seem to be making all of us arrive on time. I think I tend to rush, being
less effective and often forgetting things. However when I forgive myself, I am
more able to focus on what really needs to be done. I get to work feeling more
relaxed and ready to start the day's work.
.
Forgiving instead of gossiping
I get upset with a person and I blame her for my being upset, disappointed or
angry. Then I go and complain about her to somebody else. Very few people will
point out that I am blaming instead of being responsible. It is much easier to
gossip about her than to forgive her for what she does. I find many people love
to join me in my criticism of her. They will agree with my complaining. I
complain instead of confronting the real issues.
When I chose to forgive, I can more clearly see what is really happening. I can
learn new ways to solve the problems that I am having. I can then have less to
complain about. I can then do things that are much more productive, fulfilling,
satisfying and enjoyable than gossiping.
.
Am I forgiving?
I still feel angry when I hear about the way she treats her son. I do my best to
be supportive towards her, and actively listen to her as she speaks of her
difficulties being a new mother. While I realize that she has a right to bring
up her child the way she chooses, I still in some ways judge her actions. I
would love to see her being more committed to the task of being a mother. Do I
need to forgive myself for feeling angry or is my anger a sign that I need to
forgive her? My anger could be about my feeling of helplessness from my
inability to change the way she treats her son. It may be time for me to examine
what triggers me to feel that way. I may have somebody in my past that I have
not forgiven.
Forgiving is different
from trusting.
I can forgive anybody anytime. I do not have to wait for them to earn
forgiveness. I only need complete the forgiveness process and forgive. I may
need to deal with my pain, anger or sadness as I forgive.
I may be unable to trust a person, especially if they have repeatedly been
untrustworthy. Either I would need to manage my risk, or the other person would
need to earn my trust before I would consider trusting him again.
I can forgive yet still not trust. By forgiving, I can be free from the
resentment of past events. Life can be more enjoyable and trust may be regained
more quickly and reliably by forgiving.
Forgiving yet being a stand for
excellence.
How can I forgive myself or somebody else for mediocrity yet still be a stand
for excellence? To me it sounds paradoxical. Does forgiving mean accepting
actions that are less than my best? Does it mean embracing the behaviors of
others that I personally find appalling?
I admit that I do not know the answers to those questions. However it has been
my experience and the experience of many people who I know, that forgiving
allows a whole new possibility for the present moment. Instead of experiencing
regret about what happened years ago, I can be grateful for what I have learned
and the strengths I have gained from the experience. From that a whole new
future can be created.
Forgiveness is
important for living.
"Forgiveness is a good thing. Easier to
forgive others more than ourselves...but we must in order to survive"
Forgiveness may be necessary for our survival. It allows us to enjoy and
appreciate more in our lives and we can contribute more to others. I believe
that forgiveness is essential for living life fully.
Being a great friend by forgiving.
Jane told me that I was "beating myself up" for not turning up at the
appointment. It was true that I was giving myself a hard time about missing the
meeting. She said that I was being very unfriendly to myself with my unforgiving
attitude. I do not want to miss appointments, however I was feeling very
unwilling to make any more appointments for fear of being late. Another friend
said "you did not keep that commitment, however think for a moment of all those
commitments you do keep. I chose to acknowledge myself for what I
do achieve and forgive myself for those times I don't. After that I became more
free and willing to make other commitments that I want to make.
.
Being responsible and forgiving.
Instead of blaming and being a victim, we can choose to take our own
responsibility and forgive.
For example, when a friend asked me to send a message for her. Instead of
blaming her for causing me to arrive at work late, I can realize that I chose to
perform that task for her at the time that I would normally leave for work. I
can forgive myself for being late on that occasion, and I may choose to be on
time on other days. I may not have to forgive her - she had not broken any
agreement by asking me to perform the task at that time. However I may still
feel angry at her, in which case I can do a forgiveness exercise to get over it.
.
Forgiving - is it worth it?
Often the process of forgiving requires commitment. Real effort is sometimes
required if we are to resist the temptation to remain unforgiving. I admit that
I often would prefer to just forget about an incident rather than think of it
again for the purpose of forgiving those involved.
Yet the price of unforgiveness is high. We have less vitality. Unresolved
feelings of pain, hurt or embarrassment can resurface at any time. Even
accidents and disease can be experienced by those who do not forgive. While I
was driving one day, the car in front of me proceeded across a pedestrian
crossing even though he was facing a red traffic signal. I felt angry as I
remembered the time a car had driven through a red light when I was walking
across a crossing the previous month. I had not forgiven that driver, and now
was in a rage instead of focusing on my driving. I was being a very unsafe
driver and nearly caused a traffic accident.
The benefits of forgiveness include the joy of being in the present moment. The
ability to appreciate and enjoy people more. Peace and relationship.
Productivity and personal satisfaction.
I acknowledge those who do make the effort to forgive.
.
Forgiving makes being
with "difficult people" enjoyable.
Some of my friends have at times complained that certain people are difficult to
be with. One of my friends began to do some forgiveness exercises. The following
week she was happy to report that she was no longer finding her boss difficult
to be with.
I had also been practicing a forgiveness process myself, and have also noticed
that I no longer have much difficulty being with those people I was previously
finding frustrating to be with. I feel relieved, knowing that I do not have to
change these people to make them enjoyable to be with. I simply need to make my
own changes in the way I think of these people. By accepting, appreciating and
forgiving them, I can enjoy the times I am with them.
.
Forgiving by letting go of
expectations that do not serve us.
A friend mentioned an inspiring quote by Byron Katie. I knew it was from her
book "Loving what is". I was glad to find that book still on my bookshelf, and
started reading it again. As I read, I realized that I am still in some
ways expecting the past to be different from the way it was. It seems such a
futile expectation, and there are, as Byron Katie recommends, other more
practical ways for me to think. I can really question my beliefs about the past.
Was it actually true? Or was it just a story that I made up about what happened?
Does my judging what happened serve me? Does it make any difference to the past
or does it only cause me pain?
Now, after rereading some of her book, I can see where I have not been so
forgiving. I can more easily let go of my judgments and forgive.
.
Having a forgiving attitude.
I have noticed that I really appreciate and enjoy people having a forgiving
attitude. I feel more relaxed and alive in their presence. Having noticed that,
I consider that it would be valuable for me to learn to also have a forgiving
attitude for the benefit of others. But how do I deal with another person's
behaviors that I do not like? That is a question that seems to be asked by many
people who are reluctant to forgive. There is a fear that forgiving
somebody who is behaving in an undesired manner will encourage that behavior.
Yet in my own experience, a forgiving attitude much more often brings a desired
outcome than an unforgiving attitude. I admit that I have often been unforgiving
of others when I have been fearful, angry, hurt or tired. However I am committed
to forgive find much joy in forgiving.
Being forgiven and forgiving myself.
On Friday I was riding my bicycle on my way to work. I rode too close to a van
which was stopped in traffic. My back pack bumped noisily on the side of the
van.
I was late, and in a hurry to get to work so I did not stop. I knew the van, and
the person who was most likely to have been driving it at the time, and I felt
guilty for what I had done. On Sunday, I apologized to the owner of the van. She
said that she was relieved to know that I was not hurt. She had been very
worried that she may have injured a cyclist, though realized that she was
stopped at the time. I think we were both happy that I had visited her to
apologize. I am glad that she is so forgiving. I was easily able to forgive
myself with her forgiving attitude.
Forgiving but not forgetting.
There are are some things that I have done in the past that I really wish I had
not done. I do not seem to be able to forget what I did. However I can take the
advice of relationship coaches
Susie and Otto Collins
"instead of forgiving and forgetting, we have to forgive and let go."
I appreciate their recommendation. There are always triggers that remind me of
what happened, however when I have let go of my judgments, pain and various
emotions about what happened, I can be more free of my past.
.
Forgiving myself.
The job I was working on took longer than I had planned for. I chose to complete
it that afternoon, which meant that I would be late for my evening class. Even
though I had made the choice to be late, I was still unwilling to forgive myself
for my lateness. The class leader drew my attention to the fact that I had
chosen to be late, and that I seemed to have an unforgiving attitude towards
myself for being late. He said that it was not a problem to him that I arrived
at that time. He recommended that I arrive late next week as an exercise in
dealing with my attitude towards myself. At first I was shocked at the idea. I
have since realized that my unforgiving attitude towards myself does not work
for me and the people around me.
Forgiveness brings great joy.
I saw the family and friends happy and smiling as the two baby girls were
playing. I noticed that whenever either of those very young girls did anything
that anybody thought was wrong, everybody seemed very willing to forgive them.
"no, you do not throw your plate on the floor when you have eaten enough" was
said in a firm and forgiving way. The smiles were able to resume within a
minute. The joy and laughter continued even before the spilled food was cleaned
up off the floor. Yet adults do not usually display this same forgiving attitude
towards each other very often. If an older child or an adult happens to spill
anything, others often tend to remain upset for long after any mess is cleaned
up. Maybe we could have more joy by forgiving more quickly.
Forgiving instead of judging.
I overheard the comment "he is very judgmental". On hearing the tone of voice
with which that comment was made, I thought that the person speaking did not
like him being that way. I started thinking "are both people being judgmental?"
There did not seem to be much joy or relatedness between the two of them. They
seemed to be unwilling or unable to resolve some issues between them. These two
people made me even more appreciate my friends who remain warm and generous to
me, even though I do at times make mistakes that impact on them. For example, I
wasted an hour of a workmate's time by misreading the street directory when he
was driving me to a job. I was very happy with the bargain that we struck. He
would not dock me an hour's pay if I purchased an up to date street directory
for him. What a great start the following week seeing him excitedly pick up that
new edition. Sure, friends may get upset at times, yet they seem to quickly
forgive and get over their upset.
Bodymind Complete Forgiveness.
Thanks to Peter for initiating the forgiveness network and
keeping the subject up there.
For me, the forgiveness process is key to the development of compassion. But not
something we can force, co-erce or manipulate within the self in any way.
In my work as a healing practitioner and in my experiences of relationship in my life, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the need to honour and integrate both the primal and mental states of being, in a bodymind approach to forgiveness.
I may find it within my capacity to have the intent to forgive and even to mentally let go of an issue, but the primal body has its own knowings and a mind of its own. It makes decisions that are very appropriate for my safety and well-being and will deliver clear messages about further contact with people from whom I’ve experienced unhealthy behaviour.
However, it may also make conflicting decisions about these same people according to primal imprints laid down in early childhood eg a bond of love/dependance with an abusive parent. Untangling this in the forgiveness process is quite some challenge. Many of us face this difficult healing process within the socialisation of our dysfunctional westernised society.
So I might experience forgiveness in my thinking, but have two concurrent feeling states that are resisting forgiveness in my being. One state has a gut knowing that giving an abusive or manipulative person an inch of my good nature will mean opening the door to the attempt to take a mile. The other state is a feeling bond that would attempt to draw me back into interaction with the person. So what to do with the internal conflict within the being? Patience with myself is my personal remedy...and this is also strong stuff in the development of compassion.
Meanwhile, the healthy solution is the development of appropriate boundaries, and winging it until I can fly. Boundary setting goes hand in hand with the forgiveness process for me. After all, who would ever realise that their behaviour is offensive or abusive to another unless that other person makes it clear to them that it is not appreciated?
The hardest situations for me are those where I experience obviously abusive behaviour from another and the person offers no admission of the behaviour, nor any apology, not at any time, not ever. That’s just plain hard forgiveness work.
What makes it happen for me is time and personal distance so that the feeling bond decreases in intensity while I practice winging the boundary setting. The mental forgiveness process then helps me to be more objective and compassionate about the person’s behaviour. The feeling state then eventually, in its own sweet time, allows a forgiveness within my being and the boundary becomes automatic with no fear of, and often no interest in further interaction with the person.
So what I’m saying is this...in my experience, the intent to forgive is one thing, but complete forgiveness belongs to a full integration of the primal reaction and response states of the bodymind with our mental intent. And such is the work of being human.
With love from Ilyhana http://earthsoulscience.com
Forgiving for our own benefit.
She said "I will never forgive you for what you did". I immediately thought
about the pain that she was continuing to inflict on herself by holding on to
the past like that. I said "you are choosing to give only yourself a hard time
by not forgiving." I believe that I had already learned most of the lessons with
how we both suffered from what I had done all those years ago. I would have
liked her to forgive for her own sake. She was only punishing herself with her
unwillingness to forgive me. She was not hurting me. I am confident that I would
never again do what I did all those years ago. I have forgiven myself for what I
did. I have also forgiven her for her part in it, though in that instance I had
been the main cause of that particular difficulty way back then. I do not
believe that she deserves the punishment that she is giving herself by refusing
to forgive.
Forgiveness is a courageous act.
I said that I had forgiven him for what he did. My friend was shocked. She said
"You are just acting weak letting him get away with it like that". I thought
about it over a few days. I decided to retain a forgiving attitude, and to speak
with him about the way his actions impacted on me. I was glad that he was
willing to talk about that. He also apologized. My friend had warned me
that he would not be likely to talk about it, and he most certainly would not
apologize.
When I told my friend about my conversation with him, she was impressed that I
had confronted him. I admit that I was tempted to not bother after hearing my
friend's advice!
I believe that forgiving and speaking with him is more a sign of strength than a
weakness.
I have since read of other people who have forgiven others for actions that have
had much greater impact on them than what his actions had on me. It seems to me
that they are being very courageous to go against the prevailing attitudes and
to forgive.
Why forgiveness is so necessary.
Each of us makes mistakes. That is the way we learn. When we forgive ourselves
and each other for the mistakes that we do make, we can much more enjoy each
other, and learn and grow.
Also every person in this world has different values. For example I may be
committed to excellent health, and my friend may be more committed to enjoying a
delicious dessert. I could get unnecessarily upset if I am unwilling to forgive
my friend for his choice of food. Similarly my friend could cause problems if he
was unwilling to forgive me for denying him the pleasure of joining him and
eating dessert with him.
We never really know everything about every event that happens. By forgiving
ourselves and other people in our lives for what we think they may have caused,
we can avoid making incorrect judgments about each other.
Forgiving does not deny us the opportunity of speaking about our concerns about
behaviours and actions. It does actually free us to have really productive
conversations about what may have happened. Nearly everybody will be more open
to correction, and less defensive when we are more forgiving.
Forgiving her partner.
She was very upset. Her boyfriend had not rung her, and he was not answering his
phone. She felt hurt and was very angry at him. The more he tried to avoid her,
the more she attempted to connect with him. The more she pursued him, the more
he tried to avoid her. She was unwilling to forgive him for withdrawing. He
remained unwilling to forgive his parents and other people in his life that he
thought were nagging him. He also was unforgiving of himself, and giving himself
a hard time.
Forgiving myself and forgiving
others.
I had started noticing that some people seemed to be less friendly towards me. I
asked one of my friends why that may be happening. He replied "who are you being
that they occur for you that way?" I felt disappointed with his answer. I
grumbled "what do you mean who am I being?" Fortunately my friend is very
forgiving, and allowed me to be with those thoughts for a while. Later I began
to see that he was being a true friend to me, and I apologized for being so
unwilling to listen to what he had said. The truth is that I had made some
mistakes, and was being unforgiving of myself as I suffered the consequences. I
was thinking more about the difficulties that I had created for myself than the
valuable lessons that I had learned from what I had done.
Forgiving.
He pointed out to me that I was much more willing to forgive children than
adults. I knew that was true, and I started thinking about it. In a way I was
not really forgiving. I was just rationalizing, thinking "they are just children
and they do not know any better". He said "often children do know what they are
doing!" I began to see where I was just guessing the reasons why people did what
they did, and I was choosing to forgive or not forgive depending on my guess. I
began to realize that I could start forgiving more, instead of judging the
thoughts and actions of people.
Forgiving in relationships.
She was complaining to me about her boyfriend. "I end up doing most of the work
myself" she said. I was tempted to advise her about ways to have his
unwillingness to do his share of the chores impact on him instead of her. I
listened to her, and as she shared more about her difficulties and frustrations,
I noticed that she was unwilling to forgive him until he started doing more of
the chores. I thought "she may have to wait a long time" as he seems to be quite
happy to have her do the chores. If she would forgive him, she would be more
easily able to negotiate and make workable agreements for dealing with the
household chores.
Life is so much more satisfying when
I forgive.
I do not like the way so many people behave. I can continue to get upset that
they do not behave in the way I would like them to. Or I can forgive them for
behaving the way they do. I have noticed that when I choose to not forgive them,
I remain upset, and those people will usually continue to behave in the
same way they usually do. Yet when I forgive them, I can much more easily
communicate with them and I am no longer disappointed or angry. When I forgive,
sometimes people have even been willing to listen as I explain the impact that
their behavior has caused. Looking back, I can see that I have missed out on a
lot of personal satisfaction all those times that I have not forgiven.
Audio track Play,
Stop and Pause
Forgiving those who do not forgive.
I was thinking about not forgiving him until until the time that he became
willing to forgive me. I was reluctant to forgive him, as I wanted him to learn
to initiate the forgiveness. Yet he seemed to remain unwilling to forgive. I
asked other people, and most believed that he should forgive first. I researched
about this and noticed that most people are unwilling to forgive. I realized
that he may never forgive me, and if I follow other people's advice, I would
just be another unforgiving person. That is not what I am committed to being. So
I forgave him, and he forgave me.
Audio track Play,
Stop and Pause
Forgiving saves us from being
repeatedly upset.
"I felt angry when he parked his car so close to my car that it was difficult
for me to get in to my own car. I was annoyed, and thought about how
inconsiderate he was in doing that. I was upset for most of the day after that."
When somebody does something that I do not like, I can choose to continue to
remain upset, or I can choose to forgive him and allow myself to enjoy the day
instead. Until I forgive him, I will tend to remain upset. I may feel as though
I have completely forgotten about what happened, however when anything even
remotely similar happens, my memory will be triggered. If I have not forgiven
him, I will again be upset as I recall the event when my memory is triggered.
But if I have forgiven him, I will no longer be upset as I recall that event
that happened in the past.
I may also need to forgive myself for getting so angry at him. It is natural to
feel rage when I am inconvenienced. With conscious effort, I can choose to get
over what happened in the past. I can forgive.
Forgiveness and self expression
We limit our self expression by not forgiving.
Whatever we do impacts other people as well as affecting ourselves. Often the
effect of our actions is not what we expected. If we are to live and
learn, we will often cause both desired and undesired results.
We could choose to limit our self expression, thus limiting both our desired
results and our undesired outcomes.
Or we can forgive ourselves and others for undesired outcomes, and live our
lives more fully.
A lesson in forgiveness
Hearing on the news stories of a huge natural disaster and seeing pictures in
the newspapers and on television of the devastation have left me feeling
shocked and horrified.
I have heard people blaming governments and individuals for the losses being so
great. After hearing several people asking why God would cause such a
horrendous event, I started thinking about that question. I initially thought
that we as humans take risks. That is part of life. Some times we get away with
taking those risks. Other times we don't. Years ago somebody recommended that I
move up to the mountains to avoid a big tidal wave. I chose not to, as I did
not want to, and I considered the risk comparatively small. By chance I got
away with it as this time I live far enough away from the occurrence. I can
imagine where living with such beautiful friendly people could be well worth
the risks of being wiped out maybe once every few thousand years.
I also learned to take more risks in interacting with people in my life. I used
to blame others whenever I got upset. I tried to protect and isolate myself
from others in order to avoid the risk. I would forever hold resentment toward
them for all sorts of things and blamed them for my feelings of sadness,
disappointment and pain.
I now consider that being at least a certain amount open is preferable to
trying to play it safe. I can be responsible for times I do feel hurt by
forgiving those people and accepting my own choice to take the risk. I can
enjoy life so much more. I accept that I may experience joy, sadness,
happiness, hurt and anger. By willingly embracing and accepting all those
emotions I can more easily forgive.
Time to forgive
He had asked me for the loan of the money, and promised to repay it at the end
of December 2004. However shortly before the end of the year, when I
noticed he had bought some things for himself, I wondered if he had left himself
enough money to repay me. He hadn't. I was really angry.
I stopped and thought about it for a moment. I could see that I could blame him
for my anger, or I could take responsibility for having risked lending my money
to him.
Later, I noticed that I still felt just as angry. It was not getting any better.
I put my boxing gloves on and expressed my rage by hitting the punching bag. At
least I could think more clearly about him after that. I then wrote a
forgiveness letter, not for the purpose of giving to him, but for me to practice
forgiving him. That was the easy part, and I felt complete in less than 5
minutes. I then spent more than half an hour forgiving myself for having lent
him the money.
Who do you need to forgive?
I know that as a parent, I have in some ways been really great, yet I
have also made some mistakes that have caused my 18 year old daughter a lot of
pain.
She often tells me how much support I have selflessly given her.
She is so willing to forgive me for my shortcomings.
I believe that one of the reasons that she sees me as such a great dad is that
she is so willing to forgive me.
As a parent, I want my daughter to be responsible for herself in her life. I do
not want her to to blame me for her life not working out the way she wants.
As I see so many people who have not forgiven their parents, I am extremely glad
that my daughter has chosen to be responsible by forgiving me. She has inspired
me to forgive myself.
Forgiving is not so hard
"He slipped and fell. He hurt himself badly because the concrete surface he
landed on was not very forgiving"
I thought about what was said. Not thinking about the hard surface, but in stead
I was thinking about the pain and suffering when people are not willing to
forgive. The accident had happened a few days earlier and already he had
almost fully recovered. While I was glad to hear that he had healed physically,
I would have liked to see him get over his attitude towards the young girl who
he believed caused him to fall. She had learned from her mistake. She had
apologized. What more could she do?
Forgiving her for getting angry.
She was furious with her boyfriend. "He keeps acting as a victim and that makes
me so angry" she said. As an outsider I could clearly see the vicious circle
that the two of them could not break out of. The more he acts
helpless, the more she gets angry. The more she gets angry, the more he acts
helpless. He believed that he shouldn't get angry and was trying not to express
that emotion. She is willing to express her anger, yet is blaming him for
causing her to be angry. He is also trying to suppress her anger, and she will
not allow that. I am not surprised that she feels angry when he tries to stop
her from expressing her self.
He is unwilling to forgive her for being angry. He does not forgive himself for
feeling angry. Yet he does not yet realize what he is missing out on by
not forgiving her and not forgiving himself.
Move into the new year with Forgiveness
Get off to a great start and make 2005 an outstanding year by forgiving. What
happened in 2004 happened in the past. In stead of carrying over into the new
year any resentments and hurts from the old year, we can choose start afresh.
Before thinking of new years resolutions, we can first choose to clear out the
mental garbage that could stand in the way. Do that by forgiving ourselves and
others for what was done in the past. That way we can create an amazing 2005.
I have started by reflecting on 2004, and looking at my failures, and doing a
forgiveness process on the ones about which I still feel disappointed or angry
at my self. My next step is to think of people in my life, and forgive them. I
am looking forward to celebrating my completion of that, and an exciting start
to an outstanding new year. Regardless of how much I have completed, I will
declare it complete and celebrate at midnight!
Fighting Terror with Forgiveness
Read complete article.
1. Select a bitter sorrow, a serious grievance against someone,
or a punishing charge against yourself, and review it in complete detail.
2. Hold in your mind the image of whatever is to be forgiven - yourself,
another person, a past event - and say, “I release you from the grip of my
sadness, disapproval, or condemnation.” Concentrate quietly on this intention.
3. Imagine for a while what your life will be like without the sorrow or
grievance that has been haunting you.
4. Make amends with someone you’ve hurt or someone who has hurt you; tell a
friend about your self-forgiveness; or otherwise bring your inner work to your
relationships.
5. Ask for God’s help to overcome fear or resistance at any step. If you do not
believe in God, ask for help from nature, humanity, and the mysteries of your
own mind. These are the channels through which aid is sent - and aid is always
sent.
6. Have patience. Forgiveness induces healing which follows its own order and
timing. Whether you think you have accomplished anything thus far is less
important than the fact that you have attempted a radical act that will call
forth change likely to exceed your expectations. Go about your daily business,
but stay alert to unexpected shifts in your thinking, feeling, and
relationships.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 as often as necessary, for life.
That’s it! You can fight terror today by forgiving the next little thing that
bugs you - and then forgive whatever comes next. Rest assured that on your way
to greater peace, sharper intelligence, and a true fearlessness, you’ll always
find plenty of opportunities to forgive.
_______________________________
© 2004 by D. Patrick Miller. Reprinted with the permission
of the author. “Seven Steps of Forgiveness” appear in the Tenth Anniversary
Edition of A LITTLE BOOK OF FORGIVENESS: Challenges and Meditations for Anyone
with Something to Forgive by D. Patrick Miller, Fearless Books 2004. Available
in bookstores everywhere or direct from the publisher at
www.fearlessbooks.com.
Forgiveness
"If you
are suffering at the hands of a bad person,
forgive him, least there be 2 bad people"
Author unknown.
Contributed by Pamy
http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
Expect to to forgive more, not less.
I used to believe that as I learned and grew, that I would become
more perfect, make less mistakes and not have to forgiven as much. I have
attempted to be "good" however I discovered that not everybody agrees on what is
good or bad. I have also tried to avoid upsetting people. I learned that while
there is value in being considerate to others, there are many times that I need
to speak up at the risk of somebody getting upset. Only by doing that can we
learn and grow. I will need to be forgiven for the times that I have caused hurt
or pain.
Friends, family and other people will also need to be forgiven as they learn and
grow. The more willing we are to forgive, the more we can all learn and grow.
A time to forgive and move on.
For many of us, Christmas is a time to get together with our
families. Yet it is not always the joyful occasion that it could be.
I was inspired by one couple who chose to forgive their former partners. They
had chosen to let go of the past and move on.
Another couple chose to forgive their parents. The woman chose to forgive her
mother, and accept her the way she is. That made the family Christmas
celebration so much more joyful. The man chose to forgive his father. Knowing a
little about their past, I acknowledge him for his courage and generosity in
choosing to do that.
I was so moved by the willingness of each of these people to forgive. It brought
so much joy to the family get-together. They have given me one of the best gifts
this Christmas by forgiving.
Should I forgive?
She said "you should reward the people who deserve to be rewarded in
stead of forgiving those people who really don't deserve to be treated well." I
immediately thought "her belief is similar to what I used to believe years ago."
I was tempted to argue with her, as I thought she was wrong. I looked at her and
noticed how angry she appeared. I was glad that I had chosen not to argue. I
have more useful ways of spending my time than just arguing!
Years ago I often remained angry whenever anybody did things that I disagreed
with. I rarely spoke openly about my upset. Since then, I have learned to
communicate more, and to accept that other people do not always do things in the
way I think they should. I have learned to forgive others and am learning to
forgive myself.
She does have a point, though. I could acknowledge more and reward those people
who are willing to support me and give to me. And still forgive even though she
may not agree.
Forgiveness saves energy
I was feeling frustrated. I was still upset that Tom had arrived at work
so late. Things just did not seem to be going well that day. My friend rang, and
I answered the phone abruptly. I did not appreciate being interrupted with a
phone call at work. I reluctantly listened to her as she asked me how I was. I
thought "I am running late and I don't have time for this." I really was not
listening to her at all. By mid morning I felt exhausted. I sat down and
actually fell asleep. I woke when Tom came into the room. I realized what I had
been doing. I apologized to Tom for having been asleep when I was expected to be
working. He forgave me for that and asked that I manage myself better in future.
I forgave Tom for arriving so late, and asked that he either arrive on time or
ring me to let me know if he would be late. He happily agreed to do that, and
explained that there would be times when he would not arrive on time. I said
that would be OK as long as it was not too often, and that he let me know before
the time he was expected at work. The rest of the day was much easier. I
actually felt great by the time I went home. I also apologized to my friend for
treating her so abruptly when she rang, and felt relieved as I forgave her for
interrupting me at work.
Being forgiven
She mentioned that she had not received a reply from her letter. I
thought "oh no!" I had forgotten to post it nearly a week ago. I did not know
what to do. I apologized and admitted that it was still not posted. I could hear
that she was upset. I saw the shocked expression on her face as I told her.
Normally she would either become silent, or otherwise she would loudly express
her annoyance. Not this time however. She stopped for a moment, breathed deeply
and looked straight at me. She said "I accept your apology" in a way which was
gentle, yet firm. I was surprised. I stopped feeling defensive. I stopped
thinking of excuses. I could see that she had not only been inconvenienced
considerably by my carelessness. She had also been generous enough to forgive me
for letting her down. I thought "never again will I allow that to happen" as I
recalled what I had done.
By forgiving me, she caused me to be responsible for my actions in stead of
justifying myself with excuses, or blaming her or others.
Forgiveness and Restorative Justice
An excerpt from an
article written by Jim Consedine
In many respects forgiveness is probably the most difficult
of all human virtues to practise. Yet it remains central to any lasting
restorative process, personal or collective, though it’s importance is often
underrated and unspoken. On the surface it sometimes seems an unfair thing to
attempt given the pain caused by an injustice. But practising forgiveness is a
foundation stone for healthy living. It is the step we need to take to be free
of the ongoing negative effects of past injustice. It has transformative
qualities not found elsewhere. To decide to forgive is to create a different
future from one controlled by events from the past. It doesn’t mean forgetting
the past. It means remembering the past in a different way, leaving one free to
develop the future. One becomes re-empowered to choose a future not controlled
by events from the past.
Forgiving - is it one of the
most difficult things to do?
I was talking with a friend yesterday, and she said "forgiving is one of the
most difficult things for anybody to do."
I looked at her in surprise as I thought that I do many activities that I
consider much more difficult than forgiving. I said "You mean forgiving on a
really deep level." She quietly said "yes". I thought to myself "I will take up
that challenge."
Another friend suggested that most of us are not completely willing to forgive.
We resist. We hold on to the past in stead of moving on. Maybe some of us more
than others. Or we may usually forgive but there may be one or more people
who we do not want to forgive completely.
Forgiveness - a gift you can afford to give to everybody.
Less than two weeks before Christmas I am hearing so many people speak about the
expense of buying Christmas presents for family and friends. The sound and the
intensity of the complaints seem louder than the joyful Christmas music almost
everywhere.
I acknowledge the generosity of giving, and that it can take time, effort and
money to purchase a suitable gift for each person.
Yet some of the joy is often missing.
I invite you to consider giving up all past resentments. Forgiving each and
every person for what they have done in the past. Also forgiving yourself for
what you have done. It may be well worth the time and effort that it takes. It
may result in more satisfaction than spending all of that time, effort and money
in crowded stores.
Am I a forgiveness expert?
I am more an enthusiast than an expert about forgiveness. I hate seeing
the pain caused by unforgiveness. I am appalled at the waste of human lives and
resources caused by a desire for retribution. I enjoy experiencing harmonious
relationships. I like seeing people move on from the past. I want to become more
forgiving. I am excited to see how many great resources are available for me to
learn to forgive. I enjoy sharing about forgiveness. I really love seeing those
who learn about forgiveness sharing about their experience so others can also
learn to forgive.
Is forgiveness a strength or is it a weakness?
"How can you just let him get away with it?" she demanded. I could hear her fear
that her former partner would continue to hurt people. She was pleading for me
to do something about it. I was attempting to be with her and hear her concerns.
I thought for a moment about how some people had said that my father was weak,
and wondered if I was being weak. I quickly decided to speak with her former
partner later, and I continued to actively listen to her.
Now, reflecting on what happened, I can see that my own doubts about myself
would have added to her fear. Since then she has done a lot of work on forgiving
him. I acknowledge her for that, as her pain was extreme, and to forgive him, I
expect, would have taken a lot of commitment.
Forgive permanently
Having forgiven, especially in cases which are difficult to forgive, I am often
tempted to feel some anger or resentment when I remember the past. I sometimes
need to do more work on forgiveness to achieve my commitment to forgive
permanently what happened in the past. Unless I am willing to permanently
forgive, I am missing out on the greatest benefits of forgiveness - freedom from
the past, relationship, joy and peace.
I'm not so forgiving
I arrived at 20 minutes past 6 for our group meeting which was scheduled to
start at 6 o'clock. All the others were already there. They were in the midst of
a discussion, and I would have liked to have heard the start of it. Later, I
said that I wanted to be on time, and apologized for being late. The group
leader told me that I was giving myself a hard time about being late. All the
others agreed that it was not a problem to them that I arrived late. One woman
said that she had arrived only a short while before me. I was not forgiving
myself for being late. Yet it seems that my unforgiveness does not help me to be
on time. While I am committed to being on time, I also have other
commitments, and I chose to complete a task at work in stead of leaving work
earlier. As I thought more about that meeting, I wondered how unforgiving I
might be of others when they arrive after the scheduled starting time. Yes I
could be more forgiving.
"We may not get the chance again to forgive.
A young farmer became very furious at next door neighbour who had
offended him severely and so went straight to the neighbour's house with
the view of revenging .
However, something strange happened as the farmer got to the house.
After the farmer furiously shouted the offender's name without any
response, he decided to forcefully open the door.
My goodness ! What a tragedy !
The offender was lying prostrate, dead on the ground.
Immediately the farmer saw that, he begun to shout for help all over
the vicinity: calling people to come to the young man's aid !
Apparently, my little challenge has to do with the type of help this
repented farmer could give to a corpse.
I am also thinking of where this farmer will place the unforgivenss
after the death of the offender. Nobody knows what lies in the next
minute ahead and so I think that the time is now. This is because we
may never have the chance to relevantly forgive."
Forgiveness can be a possibility.
A friend happily said "it is good to forgive". I reflected back "You are happy
to forgive". As she said "yes", I smiled. I am enthusiastic about forgiveness.
There are some people who are not so enthusiastic about forgiveness, and I was
wondering about my conversations with some of them. I didn't smile much when I
spoke with them.
I realized that I was judging forgiveness as good and unforgiveness as bad. My
judgment was standing in the way of my relationship with these people. It was
also costing me joy and vitality.
When I see forgiving as a possible action to take in stead of regarding it as a
"good" thing to do, I feel free to enjoy speaking with these people who see
forgiveness differently from the way I see it. I can learn from them.
I am still clearly aware of many of many advantages and benefits of forgiving. I
have learned that there are disadvantages too. Forgiving can take time and
effort. Life can change for me when I forgive. I may need to see some people
differently. Not as they were in the past, but as how they are now. I may need
to admit that my old view of them is no longer the truth. As I learn all this
from those who are less enthusiastic about forgiveness, I can see a little more
into their world. I can give them more understanding and empathy. And I can
forgive them.
Forgiveness can take time
Especially in the case of a traumatic event, it can take time to forgive. We may
need to grieve for what we have lost. That can be important. Those of our
families and friends who want us to just get over it may be doing us a
disservice, even though possibly having good intentions. They may not want to
feel the pain. Or possibly not want to see us experience pain. Yet it is from
going through the pain that our grief will heal. We need to create a
balance between how long we spend dealing with our grief and how long before we
are willing and ready to forgive. We do not want to miss out on the joys of
forgiving for any longer than necessary, yet not dealing with our grief can
cause problems later on.
Forgiveness causes peace
I have written to friends around the world, and shared many views about peace.
Some of these people have family or friends in the armed forces fighting for
peace. Yet some other friends have marched in peace protests. Some of these
people have chosen to no longer communicate with me, they say because I am a
pacifist, or am a war-monger. I hate war, and the unnecessary killing and
maiming of so many people. Yet I do not condone the actions of those who
hide from conflict, giving power to those who bully, lie and steal. I know that
I may have often made incorrect choices about whose views I support, however I
really appreciate those who are willing to forgive me for that. These people who
are generous enough to forgive have many times opened up discussions from which
we have all learned so much.
The more we are able to share so openly, the less fear, unresolved conflict and
anger there seems to be. Their forgiveness has caused more peace.
We can not change the past but we can forgive
I was thinking about some things I had done some years ago, and how
they impacted on some of my friends. I feel sadness and regret about the
problems I caused for those people. Those feelings encourage me to never let the
same upsets happen again. I have also apologized for the trouble that I caused
to some of them.
Many people have done things that I have been shocked or disappointed at.
However what was done cannot always be undone.
If I cannot change the past, what can I do? I can learn from the experience. I
can become wiser, more caring and more mindful. That leaves me with some
consolation, however it is not until I fully forgive that I can feel at peace.
Does Satan prey on our inability to forgive?
(The following thoughts about forgiveness are likely to be much more important
than what you believe about Satan, and could be useful to you regardless of your
beliefs. That was my own experience of the article.)
"I feel that Satan obtains his glory when people decide to bear grudge and live
as enemies. There is so much of struggle in this world as a result of our
inabilities to forgive. I am talking about the small stuff. Enemies are made
within seconds, and if we look at the reasons behind that, it is nothing that
couldn't be resolved with forgiveness. Satan prey on our inability to forgive!"
IT WAS A PILL
LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT FORGIVENESS COULD BE A PILL FOR THE
INCURABLE.
AKOSUA HAD BEEN SICK FOR FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER BEING RAPED BY HER OWN DAD. SHE
KEPT IT TO HERSELF FOR FEAR OF HER FATHER BEING IMPRISONED. IN REAL TERMS NO
OTHER PERSON COULD EXPLAIN HOW SHE WENT BLIND ALL OF A SUDDEN.
AKOSUA VOWED NEVER TO FORGIVE THE DAD UNTIL SHE ATTENDED A COUNSELING
SEMINAR FOR YOUNG GIRLS. AS SHE STRUGGLED TO FORGIVE, SHE BEGUN TO SEE SLIGHTLY.
SHE THEN SAID TO GOD "CAN YOU HELP ME TO WHOLLY FORGIVE MY DAD?" GUESS WHAT
HAPPENED NEXT .
A VERY BIG SCREAM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
"I CAN CLEARLY SEE!"
DO YOU THINK UNFORGIVENESS CAN BLOCK THE BLESSINGS FROM GOD? CAN YOU IMAGINE THE
NUMBER OF TIMES WE OFFEND GOD IN A DAY?
DON'T YOU THINK SATAN WILL BE HAPPY IF WE DON'T FORGIVE?
WHAT ACTUALLY DO YOU THINK?
I WILL BE GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME .
Forgiving creates peace
I hate war. I am appalled at the suffering and waste of human lives. To me it
seems so unnecessary. Yet I do not believe that giving up fighting for what is
really important for us is much better. I am disliked by many followers of right
wing politics, and also by many pacifists. Yet a growing number of people are
becoming more willing to broaden their narrow view. They are seeing the
possibility of forgiving others in stead of striking out at them, yet remaining
a courageous stand for their values. So often the desire to maim or kill an
"enemy" is really rage about somebody from the past. That anger is being
projected on the "enemy". The enemy is a handy scapegoat, yet even if the enemy
is killed, the pain and hurt remains. I often used to feel that furious,
sometimes gossiping about people who had done even some small thing that I got
upset about. I sometimes caused damage to their property.
If we forgive, we can be more willing and able to educate the "enemy" in stead
of maiming. We can resolve our past pain and enjoy living in the present moment.
"I learned to forgive him"
She said "My friend asked me if he could assist me in completing my
project. I gave him a small task to do, something that I thought was so simple,
yet he managed to mess it up."
I noticed that she had been very upset about it, and I asked her what she
learned from that experience.
She said "I learned to forgive him."
I was pleasantly surprised, as that is not the answer that I expected.
Is forgiving just an intellectual exercise?
When I feel angry or frustrated or sad about what somebody has done, I can
simply say that I forgive him for what he has done. However that is not always
sufficient. The anger or sadness may remain. Even after writing a forgiveness
letter and other techniques. I may just want to express those feelings, yet some
friends tend to try to console me, or tell me to just get over it. They may
start to criticize the person who I am upset about, distracting me from my own
process. Friends can be less than helpful at times. I may need to get the
assistance of a counsellor, or learn to breathe deeply as I go through
experiencing my own pain. Or I may just need a little more time to heal.
I really appreciate having somebody who is willing to support my by just be
there for me and accepting the process that I am going through, not trying to
fix me.
Are we forgiving in order to get, or to give?
In the book "First Give, Then Receive", I discovered something that really
shocked me. I found that many things that I do, I do for the purpose of getting,
not for the purpose of giving. As I look back many of the things that I have
done in my life, I see the most satisfying are those that I have either done for
no reason at all, or those I have done as a contribution. Some of the least
satisfying are things I have done just to satisfy my own needs and desires, or
just to please others. It is the same in forgiving. If I forgive in order for my
relationship problems to go away, I do not get the desired outcome. If I take
responsibility for confronting the issues in my relationships, and also forgive
all people involved (as well as myself), my relationships blossom.
Is it possible to be too forgiving?
I read of a comment that people can be too forgiving. I do not
believe that it is possible to be too forgiving. I do however know of several
traps.
I can forgive the other person and not forgive myself.
I may forgive intellectually yet still have unresolved emotions of anger, hurt
and pain.
These two traps are so common that I find there are only a small number of
people who do not tend to pull myself and other people into the trap. Until
recently, I was one of the worst offenders. I was unforgiving of my mistakes. I
was unwilling to allow myself or others to express anger, and that suppression
often caused destructive outbursts or self sabotage in stead of powerful
resolution of problems.
I think that it would be difficult for many people to really understand these
traps, and would be likely to believe that others can be too forgiving. They
could think that by judging others that way, they would be able to justify their
own unforgiveness. They would also be surrounded by many like minded people who
agree with them.
I feel so free, being able to forgive.
I no longer need to stay upset for as long when somebody does something that
I do not like. I can enjoy life so much more. I am able to talk more freely
about what I would prefer of the other person, as I let go of my expectations
that he or she does as I want. What I find amazing is the more I forgive and let
go of my expectations, the more I tend to get what I want. It seems like a
paradox. I previously feared that I would not get what I wanted if I let go of
my expectations. While I do not always get what I want, I am nearly always much
happier and more satisfied.
Forgive, be forgiven and enjoy your life so much more.
So much of our success and satisfaction in life depends on the quality of
our relationships with other people, and ourselves. Up until recently, my
biggest successes have been things that I have done on my own. As I forgive
people more, I am discovering what I have been missing out on. Connection with
other people.
I have enjoyed more connection with my daughter than almost anybody else because
I am more willing to forgive her. She also seems to be very willing to forgive
me.
Why am I less willing to forgive others?
As I write this, I am thinking how it does not make sense for me to continue to
refuse to forgive other people. I am also critical of myself.
The impact of my unforgiveness is that I do not contribute to others as much as
I could. People are less willing to assist me. I feel stressed having to do so
many things myself in stead of working with others. It costs me vitality and
health as well as financially.
I am now starting to enjoy so many of the benefits of forgiving as I learn to
forgive more.
Forgive and move forward
From page 46 of "A Little Book of Things
that Work"
Relationship with the Past
The past will have good and bad bits in it.
Come to terms with the fact that the past has gone.
Carrying a chip on your shoulder is a heavy burden for yourself more than anyone
else.
A wise person once said, "Resentment is the poison you drink in the hope of
killing someone else."
Are you carrying baggage?
Forgive and move forward.
Forgiving myself
I often find forgiving other people easier than forgiving myself. Having
observed many other people, I notice I am not alone in this. My unwillingness to
make mistakes often stands in the way of my learning as quickly as I could. I
cause myself unnecessary pain by not forgiving myself when I do make mistakes.
As a child, I often received disapproval or sometimes punishment for making
mistakes. My school teachers and my parents wanted to train me to be competent.
Yet as an adult, I have taken a long time to change my attitude to mistakes. Not
only do I still have some of that attitude about my own mistakes. I also have a
little of that attitude to the mistakes that other people make.
By forgiving myself for some of the mistakes that I have made recently (and not
so recently), I am able to become more accepting of myself and others.
The joy of being with people who forgive.
Imagine being amongst friends. People who really accept you as you are. These
people also accept themselves, and are great to be around. The experience of joy
and aliveness. Yet I have found it confronting at times. I have thought that I
was inferior to these people. I thought that they had their lives in order where
my life was more of a mess. Until one of them asked me what I was so sad about.
I did not know why I felt so free to tell him what I was thinking. I said "I
don't have things in my life handled like the other people here." He was willing
to listen to me, and said "you think I have it all together and you think you
don't, and you seem to be sad." I thought for a moment. Yes that is what I was
thinking and how I felt. He remained silent, in stead of giving me advice or
trying to console me the way everybody else usually did. I then started to
consider the possibility that it may not be true that he has his life together
and I don't. He seemed to be forgiving of my shortcomings. He was able to be
totally present with me in that moment. He made a difference to me in that short
time.
Forgiving more.
I was told that I had not forgiven some people in my life. I felt very
defensive, having spent time and effort forgiving people. Yet I started writing
out a forgiveness letter anyway. I did not believe that I was getting very far
with that approach. So I started reading Byron Katie's book "Loving what is"
again. I then realized that I was expecting people to behave differently from
they way they were actually behaving. No wonder that I was being told that I was
not forgiving. Byron Katie in her book explains how we cause ourselves so much
unnecessary pain by expecting people to be any different than the way they are.
She also explains a simple method for me to deal effectively with those thoughts
which do not serve me. Many other people have found it works for them too.
The more I practice forgiving and the more that I read about forgiveness, the
more I see opportunities to forgive. Yet still more is possible. I am
inspired by the stories about the peace and joy that some people have achieved
in their lives from having forgiven others for some shocking events. All the
things that I have forgiven other people in my life for, seem trivial in
comparison.
I also am more able to be a friend to others, as I forgive myself and others.
What do you think about when you think of forgiveness?
Thinking about concerns that the offender will get away with having done some
wrong without being punished? That is a common concern, and I admit that I still
feel at least a bit the same way. Yet it seems to me that retribution and
punishment do not often work as effective deterrents. Sure, when somebody does
something that I fear, or strongly disapprove of, I often feel angry and want to
strike out. I often feel tempted to do things which are destructive, and get a
sense of glee at seeing the other person experiencing some misfortune. I tend to
judge the other person and his actions in stead of communicating and resolving
the real issues. Did the other person intend to cause me harm? I probably don't
really know until I discuss the situation and what happened. Yet if I had struck
out at the other person, I would have been intentionally causing harm to him.
So what are the alternatives to punishment?
Much of Western society's justice system is built on retributive justice. If
anybody breaks the law, they are punished.
Before I had worked in prisons, installing surveillance equipment and intercoms,
I used to strongly believe in that system, and regarded people who broke the law
as criminals who should be punished. When I was working in prisons and detention
centres, I discovered that they are people. I started to question my former
beliefs. I felt sad as I saw the activities in the visiting area when inmates
were being visited by their families. I thought "what a waste of human life and
resources" as I saw so many men being unable to be with their families and
contribute to society. I also knew that our prisons cost millions of dollars to
build and operate.
Then I read about restorative justice, and how that not only gives the offender
a much greater chance. It also empowers the victims to get on with their lives,
having learned and grown from the experience instead of remaining bitter and
angry. I have spoken with many people who support and work in restorative
justice, and am so moved by what they share about the results of their work. I
love hearing of the forgiveness that often occurs.
Restoring things to how they were before
Everybody does things that damage relationships, cause hurt or pain, or in other
ways impact others. That is characteristic of being human. I am learning to
accept that characteristic, yet certainly do not condone all those actions which
cause damage. I find the same, both for my own actions and those of others.
As I discover how my activities impact other people, I know that I can chose to
learn to act in ways that better serve others and myself. I can forgive
myself for what I have caused, and commit to new actions.
I can also forgive other people for their actions, tell them about the way I
believe that I have been impacted, and give them the opportunity to learn.
I too need to learn my own lessons in stead of being a victim of what the other
person did, if I want to restore the situation to how it was before the offence
occurred.
Not only can things be restored.
We can all learn from the experience.
Feel all the hurt and anger dissolve.
Hear the tone of the words as relationship is restored.
See the facial expressions as satisfaction and joy return.
And celebrate having learned something new.
Somebody to assist you in forgiving.
At first I felt self conscious as I had a friend assist me in forgiving a member
of my family. I felt confronted as my friend coached me in the forgiveness
process. However I started to see what I had previously overlooked. I had only
been willing to feel joy and happiness. Yet in avoiding what could bring
up feelings of anger, sadness and frustration, I was not dealing with some
of my deep dark thoughts. I was allowing those thoughts to remain, and risking
having them sabotage my relationships. I really appreciated having my friend
with me as I expressed those emotions and experienced the pain. That allowed me
to more fully complete the past. I now have less energy on what happened in the
past. I can recall more of what really happened and no longer feel as angry
about it. I am easily able to forgive that person more completely she did in the
past.
I admit that I am not so forgiving.
While I am committed to being forgiving, I am not always that way.
There are some people who I am more willing to forgive. Today somebody that I
know pointed that out to me. At first I wanted to deny it. I then became
defensive. I was asked to admit to my being inauthentic. I said "I pretend that
I am forgiving, but at times I am not really forgiving." I immediately saw what
impact my pretence was having on me. I was missing out on relationship. It was
costing me joy and vitality. I was feeling alone in stead of enjoying the person
who I had not really forgiven. The impact that my behavior was having on the
other person was that she felt I was not relating to her. She felt as though she
was being judged and criticized by me.
I choose to create the possibility of being fully present, and one of the
actions I will take before the end of this evening is to do a forgiveness
exercise regarding that person.
Inviting other people to forgive.
I feel confident in my ability to forgive. A bigger challenge for me is inviting
others to forgive. I can easily write about forgiving, however when talking face
to face with another person about the possibility of them forgiving somebody, I
am less confident.
I become acutely aware of the fact that I could be more forgiving. I also tend
to want to convince the person who I am speaking with, in stead of just sharing
my joy and satisfaction from having forgiven people in my life. When I do share
about forgiveness, my enjoyment happiness increases. Sometimes I even get
excited and look forward to forgiving more, or on a deeper level. I am often
amazed as I hear some of those I speak with share about their own experience of
forgiving. I love being told of relationships being restored, often from just a
simple short conversation.
Gratitude and forgiveness
Think about when somebody did something that you were upset about. Feeling
annoyed, angry, frustrated, disappointed or maybe some other feelings. Maybe you
feel that way about something you did. I have often felt that way myself.
Now imagine something completely different. Imagine having an attitude of
thankfulness and gratitude. Appreciating all life experiences. Being excited and
willing to learn the lessons when plans don't work out, knowing that you will be
wiser and stronger as a result. Seeing problems as opportunities. Looking for
ways to contribute. Accepting other people's contribution even if they are not
contributing in the way you expect.
Now see somebody (or yourself) doing exactly the same while you still have that
gratitude, feel how much easier it is to forgive. Or maybe there is nothing to
forgive. You could possibly have already forgiven.
More forgiveness.
I really appreciate other people's generosity when they forgive me for my
mistakes. I would love to see more people being that forgiving.
A friend pointed out to me that if I become more forgiving, it will inspire
others to do likewise. As well as that, when somebody forgives me, I feel freer,
more joyful and more forgiving myself.
I guess that when I forgive others, they may also feel more inclined to forgive
me.
Begin to live a life you love - now.
You may be thinking the same as I was when I first read this.
I thought my life was mainly OK and was skeptical that such a breakthrough could
be possible.
Imagine your family and friends all happily supporting you in living the life of
your dreams. Being healthy, having lots of energy, having fun enjoying the
people around you. How would that be for you?
You may have to give up something to live like that. Would it be worth a little
time and effort? There may also be resentments and past hurts that you would
also need to give up. Imagine the freedom of giving up those feelings!
I often got annoyed by what some people did. I still remained upset often many
years later. I was also often angry at myself. That was before I had learned to
forgive.
I really noticed the difference in some of my friends as they started to do a
simple forgiveness process. I wanted the same freedom and joy for myself. I was
reluctant to follow their recommendation at first. However I did try it and was
astonished to find that people seemed to be more friendly afterwards!
Some weeks later I did some more forgiving, and I started to enjoy my family and
friends even more. I would like to be able to always forgive immediately.
Meantime, I can continue to learn to forgive more.
I needed to do the forgiveness process myself
I received an email from somebody who was having difficulty forgiving some
people in her family. I started answering the email, and as I wrote, I realized
who I have not forgiven in my own family.
My recommendation was to go to
http://forgiveness.com and go to "A forgiveness program". Choose the longer
more detailed "forgiveness of others process" and do all the steps.
I followed the recommendation myself. I followed the instructions fully, and had
to go back to earlier steps a few times to get more complete. I am sure it would
have been easier with a guide, but I did it on my own this time.
I feel happier and more free having done the process, even though I realize that
I may need to do more. Forgiveness is becoming easier and more enjoyable for me
as I practice it more.
When to forgive
I live a busy life. There are so many things to do that I have to
leave many actions that I want to take until another day.
I am learning which tasks can be left undone, and which ones need to be done
immediately. Sometimes I learn the hard way.
I did not feel like forgiving him - especially after what he had done to me and
my family. I did not want to hear from him ever again. I hated him.
Then I got a phone call from a friend. I was shocked when she told me that he
had died. I did not expect to feel that way. I would have expected to be glad. I
still hated what he did, but I wished that he hadn't died.
What had I been doing all those years? I had been thinking hateful thoughts
about him in my mind. It had been costing me my energy, vitality and peace of
mind.
What could I have I done different? I could have forgiven him and used my mind
more productively. While he was still alive, I could have let him know how his
actions impacted on my family and me. I don't know if that would have made a
difference though it would be better than just thinking in my own mind.
I have learned to give forgiveness a higher priority in my life.
Many things to forgive
I thought I would write a list of all the things that I could forgive
anybody for. I started writing. As I wrote about the incident when somebody
drove past me so close and so fast that I got scared, I started thinking of the
person who was just watching television in stead of assisting me with the
chores. Next I wrote my own name, that I could forgive myself for expecting
somebody to do something, yet not even making a request of them that they do it.
I could also forgive myself for judging them so harshly, getting angry at them
and what I felt like saying to them. I could also forgive myself for getting to
work late that morning.
I started forgiving each person on my list, including myself for what they had
done. I started feeling more at peace. I began thinking of new actions I could
take to handle each situation more effectively. I could be more alert on the
road. I could make requests of people in stead of helplessly getting upset that
they were not doing as I expected. I could also let go of some of my unrealistic
expectations. And I could stop getting so upset at myself. I could then
plan my day in a way that allows me to easily arrive at work on time.
Forgiveness allows healing to occur.
Each time I have forgiven anybody, not only have I noticed a healing
of my relationship with that person. I have also observed healing of other
relationships in my life. More than that, I have more vitality, better health
and I am more productive and I enjoy life more.
I have also heard reports of healing of physical injuries, pain and disease
after forgiving another person. While I have not observed physical for myself, I
do know that physical injuries and pain heal quicker when I am peaceful and
happy.
Encouraging other people to forgive.
This newsletter was created out of a community forgiveness project.
The aim was for each of the participants to forgive some people in their lives,
and to share their experience with at least three other people to encourage them
to forgive, and also to have each of those three share with another three.
I learned to forgive more, and that has improved all my relationships with other
people in my life. I have loved receiving thanks from many people for
encouraging them to forgive and I thank them all for being open to the
possibility of forgiveness. I am enjoying life more, as I am now finding other
people are more forgiving to me.
What is more important than telling people about forgiveness, is learning to
forgive and admit to what we have been unforgiving about. That way we can be an
example.
"But I have forgiven her" I protested.
I was talking about a time, many years ago when I arrived home from
school and my mother, as usual asked me to start doing my homework. My friend
interrupted me from telling my story and said "you have not forgiven your mother
for that". I immediately protested "But I have forgiven her". I later realized
that my friend was right. I am sure that my friend would have been able to tell
that I was unwilling to inquire into what I had not forgiven my mother for, by
the way I reacted to her comment. I rang my friend and apologized to her for
getting so upset. I had learned that my mother was most likely doing her best to
ensure that I got a good education, and she believed that it was more important
for me to do my homework than it was for me to go out and play. I can forgive my
mother for that time many years ago when I missed out on some play, and thank
her for giving me the strength of self discipline. It makes sense to me now. I
cannot change what happened in the past. I can however now look at it a
different way. Instead of always carrying the resentment for not getting what I
wanted, I can have joy for the strength I gained.
Being thankful for forgiveness.
I was writing a forgiveness letter to Jane. I enjoy meeting her on the rare
occasions that she visits this city. I was having great difficulty thinking of
anything that I could forgive her for. I stopped for a moment, and took a deep
breath. I thought about Jane and I realized just how forgiving Jane is. She is
amazing. Her capacity to forgive every little thing that anybody does inspires
me. She holds no resentments and she is so genuine. She has the ability to
communicate to me the impact that my behavior has on her. I feel happy to listen
and change my actions because she forgives me before speaking to me. I thank her
for being such a great example of demonstrating forgiveness.
Courageous powerful leadership.
Bud Welch's twenty-three year old daughter, Julie, was killed in the
bombing of the Murrah federal building in Okalahoma City on April 19, 1995. I
read Bud's story about about it. As I read about his
rage and his desire to kill Tim McVeigh, I got some more insight into the depths
of emotion that he would have felt. I felt inspired as I thought about what
it would have taken for him to forgive. I also acknowledge his leadership. He
chose to honor her daughter in stead of following the other
victims wanting to kill Tim McVeigh and wallowing in his own self pity and rage
. He was being a powerful stand for forgiveness.
Do you have the authority to forgive?
"I thought that was a shocking thing for her to do. My
friends agree with me and I am furious at her for having done it."
When I choose to judge another person's actions, I can either hold on to
my judgment or I can let it go. Other people may agree with me in my judgment. I
may find plenty of evidence to support my choice to hold on to it. I may feel
some glee in being right, however in doing that I am invalidating the person who
I am judging. Unless I let go of my judgment, I will continue to suffer, being
hurt, angry resentful and bitter in stead of getting on with living my life. I
miss out on love, joy and connection. The person who I am upset about may in
return be unwilling to give me something that I want.
What the person did may be totally unacceptable to me. I may have suffered
either a little or even a lot from the consequences. However what was done is
now in the past even though the consequences may still be present. What is the
point of holding on to the pain, sadness, rage and disappointment? The
truth is that what happened did happen, and I can not change that. It is very
likely that there is nothing stopping me from letting go of the past and moving
on. I may need to grieve a bit first, or express some unexpressed emotions. As
it is I who chose to judge what happened, and I that continued to hold on to
that, and I may have got other people to agree with my judgment, it makes sense
to me that I have full authority to now forgive.
Forgiving is easier if we take care of our health.
If we are in pain, stressed or ill we may find much more difficulty in letting
go of our past hurts and resentments. Joe from
Joes organic markets believes that we do
not have to suffer so much from disease if we care for ourselves, our families
and the whole world family by eating healthy food that is free from poisons. We
can also think thoughts that are free of fear and greed, allowing us to enjoy
life more. Instead of working long hours just for the money, we can be free to
contribute to others and spend time with each other.
Regardless of whether we start by taking care of our health making forgiveness
easier, or start with forgiveness making our physical and emotional health
better, we can enjoy life more by forgiving.
If I don't forgive myself, I can't forgive others.
I regret having done what I did. I feel guilty and
embarrassed to have told a large group of people about it. Now that all these
people know, I am faced with a need to forgive myself. If I don't do that, it
will effect my relationship with all these people. I can also see that unless I
forgive myself, I will be critical of others - family, friends, workmates and
acquaintances. I am now forgiving myself, and that is freeing me to enjoy being
with others. I feel free. I am enjoying more connection and friendship with
other people.
Living in the past
Are you living in the present time? Or are you living in the past or in the
future.
When I am living in the past, I am a victim of the past. I am powerless
to change what happened. The best that I can do is to blame other people or
myself for things not working out better. Or I could pretend that it
really is not so bad. The trouble with pretending however is that it is not
truly satisfying. In fact it is even worse than that. When