2008 Woodie Awards
Forgiveness: An idea that works for everyone, not just the religious
By: Ally Blankartz
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Forum
Every human has experienced the feeling of being wronged by another in some way, shape or form, whether it was a hurtful comment, a physical attack or the backstabbing treachery of a close friend.
Experiences like these are difficult to forget, harder to let go of and even more challenging to forgive. Anger and resentment oftentimes can be harbored as a weapon to be used as a source of power over the individual you are in conflict with.
Your hatred becomes a form of leverage to instill guilt and shame in your opponent. I know personally the power you can obtain from dangling your disappointment over the head of another.
But all this power can prove unhealthy; hatred is a heavy burden to carry.
My anger and my refusal to forgive others has formed me into a rather cold-hearted individual at times with very little pity or remorse.
But even though I am not a terribly religious person, I have recently been enlightened to the tremendous powers of forgiveness.
For starters, we should give forgiveness a definition.
Forgiveness is not simply an external act of stating to those who have wronged you that you forgive them.
Forgiving someone may be non-confrontational, making it a personal experience in which that person never becomes aware of your forgiveness. This can happen in situations when confronting the one who has wronged you is dangerous or not physically possible.
Forgiveness also does not have to be of another individual. Forgiveness can be of yourself.
As humans we are not perfect, we make mistakes many a time which may cause feelings of regret or shame within ourselves.
These feelings of self-loathing can be just as destructive as harboring anger and resentment. They can rot us from the core, and while, like the feelings of anger, they may give us power for a while, but eventually it will go to our heads.
Forgiveness is a process of recognition and understanding that frees us from the bonds of hate.
Experiences like these are difficult to forget, harder to let go of and even more challenging to forgive. Anger and resentment oftentimes can be harbored as a weapon to be used as a source of power over the individual you are in conflict with.
Your hatred becomes a form of leverage to instill guilt and shame in your opponent. I know personally the power you can obtain from dangling your disappointment over the head of another.
But all this power can prove unhealthy; hatred is a heavy burden to carry.
My anger and my refusal to forgive others has formed me into a rather cold-hearted individual at times with very little pity or remorse.
But even though I am not a terribly religious person, I have recently been enlightened to the tremendous powers of forgiveness.
For starters, we should give forgiveness a definition.
Forgiveness is not simply an external act of stating to those who have wronged you that you forgive them.
Forgiving someone may be non-confrontational, making it a personal experience in which that person never becomes aware of your forgiveness. This can happen in situations when confronting the one who has wronged you is dangerous or not physically possible.
Forgiveness also does not have to be of another individual. Forgiveness can be of yourself.
As humans we are not perfect, we make mistakes many a time which may cause feelings of regret or shame within ourselves.
These feelings of self-loathing can be just as destructive as harboring anger and resentment. They can rot us from the core, and while, like the feelings of anger, they may give us power for a while, but eventually it will go to our heads.
Forgiveness is a process of recognition and understanding that frees us from the bonds of hate.
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