Forgiveness. ‘Easier said than done’ is my opinion. In a society reeking of justice, revenge and instant gratification it kind of makes it hard for forgiveness to find its rightful place within the hearts of people. Forgiveness is one that at times is confusing, it makes no sense, but it is also very powerful and miraculous. But when are you on the true path to forgiveness? It may be said on the outside, but inside, the thoughts are still there, still the anger and emotion of being burned. Deep down, true forgiveness cools that burn. Forgiveness comes from somewhere, someone who has an immense amount of faith in humanity and though it still can bring on the need for justice, the faith it stems from can enable you to forget the past and forgive someone for an unforgivable act. We’re told that justice or retribution will feel better, but forgiveness is freedom. It frees us from the burden that comes along with anger and leaves us with true inner peace. But, unforgiveness, it leaves us bound to our perpetrator; it leaves them with the power.
In a society that is obsessed with “fair play”, true forgiveness is hard to get to. We’re asked to let it go, to rein in our natural instinct for self-defense. We’re taught to burn those who have burned us and you “never let anyone get over your time”, is what my mom says. To forgive goes against our nature as human beings; we are selfish beings who hate to be scorned. Forgiveness demands that we let it go; we move on. A weakness? Or strength? To society it is a weakness and we’ve rolled over and let it happen. The journey toward forgiveness is most definitely not an easy one, with bumps and thorns throughout the path with feelings of regret, anger, and at times the need for retribution. But, in my opinion, to be able to forgive shows you are much stronger, the ability to fight back requires little effort, while to forgive takes a lot more time, patience and a whole lot of soul searching. We haven’t rolled over or given up, we have risen above and allowed ourselves to be freed from anger and hate.
