It’s not easy to forgive others that have harmed or hurt us in some way. But I would be so bold as to say that not everyone deserves forgiveness. These are the people who take pleasure in seeing others suffer. The ones who go out of their way to cause grief and pain in someone else’s life out of spite, envy, greed, or pure malice. These ill-willed people do not deserve and will not receive my forgiveness. In these cases, however, it is imperative to let go of any resentment, as resentment can fester and grow into the same darkness that fuels these individuals’ evil actions. In these situations I would say that it’s much more important for us to forgive our self: for walking into harmful situations or allowing these people into our realm of existence to begin with.
Now to those that cause harm out of blindness, confusion, fear, or out of necessity: these are the ones that we should be willing and ready to forgive. We must remember that we are all on this Earthly journey, learning together by trial and error – and there is often A LOT of error inherent in the process. But as long as we are willing to acknowledge and mend the error of our ways, forgiveness will always be available to us. So let us be kind and understanding in the face of each other’s and our own faults, as we continue to grow and evolve as a collective.
One response to “Forgiveness”
Coming back to this post from a more *healed* perspective, I can say it becomes a lot easier to forgive even the most ill-willed actions upon realizing that that these attacks are coming from deeply unhealed places. This is not to condone or justify harmful intent by others. But this acknowledgement is meant to make it easier to heal from such attacks through the act of forgiveness.
Though I am willing to forgive, this does not mean I will refrain from defending myself against attacks. I can forgive a mosquito for biting me – as it is the nature of its very existence – but that does not mean I will stand idly by as it attempts to feast on my blood.