I’ve been dealing with the notion of forgiveness lately. I’ve had a few incidents that happened while my stint in Miami. If you’re wondering why I upped and moved so quickly, well… I’m not ready to go public with too many details but a “close” family member has hurt me one billion times over. Basically it stands that I feel I deserve an entire host of apologies by someone who has shown no remorse.
Forgiving In
“Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.” [More...]
Many religions have a strong stance on forgiving one who has wronged you. Would that limit forgiveness to believers? I can’t see why it would. The process of letting go bad feelings is a difficult one. While I grapple with my own anger and resentment, I attempt to put these thoughts behind me (I thought I almost had). Googling overcoming resentment and related topics, I come across many notions and meanings of forgiveness. As a process for the one harboring negative emotions and not the one who has done the harm, its typically irrelevant if s/he is sorry.
Is forgiveness the same as “letting go”?
After some time goes by, hopefully I will figure out if I can let go of this bitter taste. Right now, the thoughts I tried to put behind me keep creeping back into the thick of it all. Anger isn’t a bad place to visit for a quick get-a-way. I must learn how to manage angry feelings until I can move past them. Letting bad situations control your mind is never a good move. One thing is for sure, I need to let go. When ever its time. But does this process of letting go akin to forgiveness? The mere sound of the word seems like it a part of a pair, complementary to an apology. Without a sincere apology (or even remorse), forgiveness doesn’t seem to fit.
I find the use and meanings of words very interesting. Words change meanings throughout the years. Many times, people will use something incorrectly until its meaning changes. We see this in society daily with the use of “miracle” which often means unlikely but scientifically-explained event.
I suppose you can forgive someone for who they are and what they do, while not excusing it in anyway. I wonder if it just a different way to say “time heals”. Does letting go lead to forgiveness? Or is that a separate action? Is it possible let go of resentment towards someone while not forgiving them?
