FORGIVENESS

"Well it's alright riding around in the breeze, and its alright if you live the life you please"
"And it's alright, remember to live and let live, and its alright, the best you can do is forgive"

Those lyrics from the song The End of the Line by the Traveling Wilburys has so much truth in them I thougth I'd use it with today's blog entry.Why is forgiveness so necessary for one's peace of mind? I believe that if we hold any grudges or ill feeling towards any of our human brothers and sisters that it will eventually eat away at our inner peace and contentment until it destroys us completely.Why is it so hard for us to forgive another who has wronged us in any way? I cant answer that question for you but it seems that we as human beings it is ingrained in us to "get even" or to exact revenge. If someone does something to bring us harm then by all means we feel it is necessary to get back at them in some way. And this I personally feel is the wrong way for us to react.I agree with you that at times others do things that are not very nice and cause us to suffer in one way or another. And I must admit that my first impulse is to "pay them back" in like manner.But in my life I have found that as long as I have those kind of feelings I am never gonna be entirely happy and at peace with myself.So does that mean I should just accept the "hurt" another has cause and go about my business as if nothing has happened? No, I dont feel that is the right thing to do but I do feel as if I should work on forgiving that person and then just let it go while at the same time remembering things as they happened so I can protect myself from getting hurt again by the same person.This forgiveness thing can be very tricky also. There have been times in my life when I truly felt I had totally forgiven someone but later find those old feelings (or grudges) again surfacing.It is just too easy to tell oneself they have forgiven another when in reality they are only trying to fool themself into believing that they have . I feel true forgiveness is when we can see the offending party as only reacting to things in their own way and that even tho we dont want to be around them, if by chance we find ourselves in the same room we can still treat that person with dignity and class. And that means being able to accept them as a fellow human being even after they have done something horrible to us.Now why should we forgive anyone if they treat us mean?The biggest reason I feel is not because they deserve our forgiveness but because as long as we hold on to those old hurts then the offending party is still winning!I have seen people carry a lifetime grudge against someone and the person they hate is not even aware of the animosity sent their way. While the offended one or the grudge holder is punishing themselves every day by hanging on to those negative hateful thoughts that soon erode their happiness and peace of mind. I think it would be better for that person to truly forgive the other and just go about thir lives with a lot more peace and contentment in thier lives. Remember, the best revenge is living well!Someone has done you wrong so be it!Dont give them another chance to hurt you again but try your best to forgive.That way you can live well and the offending person will not get the satisfaction of knowing they have hurt you time and time again simply because you continue to carry around all those negative feelings. Free yourself today from all bondage of past hurts and grudges by just letting yourself truly forgive, and I believe you will find life a lot more pleasant. And if you really want to "get back" at those who have offended you in any way, then do something nice for them when they least expect it. And as you learn to forgive and let live please try to remember to do something nice for someone every day just because you can! Best wishes to all!