Importance of Forgiving - Must Read

Sneha (Student) (255 Points)

10 January 2011

When people hurt us emotionally, our pride is hurt, our image is tarnished. We suffer humiliation, embarrassment that hurts. Christ’s psychological genius shows and teaches us that these attacks wound deeply only if we let them. We know who we are, so another’s judgment about us should not change us. Why then, let another’s attack frighten us and fester into unforgivable hatred? To do so does not make sense. If anything, the other has done us a favor by reminding us of our human limitations what the other is saying might not be true but it does point out that we are capable of failing.

Realizing this, we learned to forgive ourselves when we have done the same to another or when we have done something we are ashamed of. Forgiving would allow all of us to recognize our true stature. It would also make us more loving and lovable.

Not to get angry is impossible. Control is different from repression. Cardiologists argue that if anger is suppressed, then it may result in heart attack. So to avoid heart attack, anger should be given vent in a constructive way. It is meaningless to have external cool with internal burning. One should forget and forgive. We can help ourselves with self hypnosis by saying to ourselves:

I should feel that people can make me angry if I let them allow.
To become angry is to flatter the other person.
I am going to think with my mind and not with my emotions.

Text 63 of Bhagavad Gita says “from anger complete delusion arises, and from delusion, loss of intelligence and memory.

When someone hurts you, straighten it out with that person. May be the situation is hard to correct, but do try. And no matter what happens, there is one thing you are able to do, you can forgive, you can get back your own peace of heart. Forgive your enemies liberally ---- in fact, nothing can annoy them so much. They expect you to kick back and so have planned to break your ribs with return kicks. All these planned onslaughts become empty and hollow when you just forgive them. Many enemies become true friends when lavishly and lovingly forgiven.