Forgiveness

Sitting in a coffee bar last week I overheard a conversation. A woman had been waiting for her friend to arrive and when the friend arrived she said she was sorry she was late but the traffic was bad. The woman who had been waiting said that she forgave the other woman this time. So how easy is it to forgive? And what do we mean by forgiveness? A dictionary will say it is about letting go of anger towards someone who has hurt you in some way. How do you define forgiveness?

In some countries, people who are due to be executed because they have murdered someone can be let off if the victim’s family forgive them. In this country there are schemes for a victim and the perpetrator to come together and talk and also forgive each other.

Should we be more forgiving? And should we let crimes of many years ago be forgiven too?

If someone hurts you in some way and you are angry, this anger will eventually eat away at you and affect your health. This is surely a good enough reason to work with someone who has hurt you and forgive them. As a Reiki Master Teacher I have worked with many people about their anger and about forgiving others. You cannot move on unless you forgive. We are all spirit in a human body living a human style life but we must learn to be more perceptive of what we do to others and be prepared to forgive what they do to us.

Are there things that happen or have happened to you, or to others that you could never forgive?

 

Our challenge

A great man died this week. Here is something he said; ‘ I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.’ When we look back we can see just how much he achieved but we can also see just how much still needs to be done.

It does not matter what race we are, what colour of our skin or what language we speak, we all originated from the same source many thousands of years ago. Mandela sought a ‘rainbow nation’. Maybe we should be seeking a Rainbow World where all are equal and we care and support each other and we care for our planet which supports us too. Each one of us needs to take a look at the way we live and the way we are with others (our governing bodies more so) and our planet. Mandela taught forgiveness and reconciliation and this is something for us all to look at too.

My hope is that his death brings focus once more to his vision and that we all work together for not only a rainbow nation but a rainbow world.