Archive for February, 2012
I was deeply hurt by some words my best friend said to me. She kind of shocked me, actually, by what she said. I immediately said that I forgave her for that. Now I am wondering if I acted too quickly. Can a person forgive too soon?
A person can forgive falsely too soon, but there is no such thing as forgiving in a genuine way too soon. By falsely forgive I mean a kind of forgiveness that is insincere, done more out of pride or expediency rather than out of a heart-felt sense of compassion for the one who was unfair. We can forgive a boss who asks us, if this means keeping our job, while all the time we are fuming inside. This is not genuine and will likely not be helpful for either the forgiver or the forgiven.
On the other hand, there are actually documented cases of quick forgiveness of people who have perpetrated horrendous injustices. Here is one example: Corrie Ten Boom survived a concentration camp during World War II. She wrote a book, The Hiding Place, about her experiences.
Following the war, she was in a German church talking about the virtues of forgiveness. After the talk, people came up to greet her. Much to her horror, the SS officer who abused her years ago extended his hand to her, asking for forgiveness. She did not want to grant it. She then said a quick prayer and, as she reports, she felt something like an electrical surge go through her right arm and so she was able both to shake his hand and at the same time to offer a love for this man that surprised even her. Without debating the issue of prayer here, she did experience something that day that was genuine forgiveness and was both sudden and complete.
The more you practice forgiveness, the more easily you will be able to practice it in a genuine way, at least at times and for certain circumstances.
Northern Ireland Amnesty
From Irish Central: A Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman has called for amnesty for all murders committed during The Troubles (1972-1997). The one caveat is that victims’ families would have to approve the amnesty in individual cases. Read the entire story.
Love as Our Core
Today the music world mourns the passing of the great Whitney Houston, who died at the age of 48. The newspapers are calling her life tragic, marred by drug use and a failed marriage. The fame, beauty, fortune, and admiration were not enough, nor could they ever be, because at our core is a need to love and be loved.
I am just speculating here, but I suspect that at her core, Ms. Houston had much love taken away from her by others across her life. When this happens, we need a way to put back that love in our heart even if others will not reciprocate. Forgiving those who have hurt us is one way of restoring that love deep within our heart.
I do not know if Ms. Houston practiced forgiveness or not. I do suspect that such practice on a deep and consistent basis may have helped her in her struggle with drugs. Maybe, just maybe, we would not be reading the headlines today if this kind of love were more continually present for her as a response to the love taken away from her. It is for reasons such as this that I am so intent on helping others create forgiving communities–as a way to restore love in the heart and help others to thrive in their pain rather than to be crushed by it.
Iranian Forgiveness?
Bloomberg.com: A top Iranian official today warned countries in the Persian Gulf to avoid siding with the U.S. and to refrain from participating in any “plots” against Iran. “The Iranian nation’s forgiveness will not be repeated,” according to parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, the state-run Tehran Times reported.??IFI note: It is not clear what is meant by the term “forgiveness” in the article. It seems to us that the term refers to military restraint, which is not quite the same as forgiveness.
Forgiveness Essential in Africa
“Forgiveness must become an essential element of African culture,” says Jesuit Father Adrien Lentiampa Sheng, speaking in Rome on January 11 at a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In his speech, the priest explained how forgiveness within African culture and tradition is regarded as a supreme value that translates into respect for the family and other human communities. Watch an interview with Father Sheng.
