Forgiveness

It takes a big person to admit their wrongs and ask for forgiveness. It takes a bigger person to do the forgiving. If you're the person who has been wronged, it's almost easier to just stay mad than try to forgive the person. But what does forgiving someone really mean? I don't know. Last year I had a long talk with one of my elders about it because I want to do what's right, but I don't want to be taken advantage of. I've encountered several people (on the receiving end of forgiveness) who think that forgiving means either 1) acting like nothing ever happened or 2) "forgetting" that anything ever happened. I guess those two are related. Forgetting is impossible. Humans cannot simply chose what to remember and what to forget. And as for acting like nothing ever happened... I am a big believer in personal responsibility. With responsibility comes consequences. If you break a trust with your friend/spouse/whatever, you have to be ready to mend that relationship. And that may take time. But I think it's entirely possible when both parties are willing. And like I mentioned earlier, it's a lot easier to hold on to hurt than to let it go. One of my favorite people in the world wrote a wonderful article on this subject aimed at the hurt of the world entitled, "Untie the Knot that Binds our Hearts".
I know this has been kind of a scatter brained post, but It was on my mind. And that's what blogs are for, right? :)