Is Forgiveness a Sign of Weakness?
“Many people are hesitant, even afraid, to forgive because they fear that the other will take advantage of them. Forgiveness is for wimps, I have heard many times. Yet, is that true? Is the offer of goodness, true goodness, extended from a position of your own pain, ever done in weakness? How can one offer goodness through a position of pain and see it as weak? And see the giver of this goodness as weak? My point is this: We all may need to delve more deeply into what forgiveness is so that we can make the best decisions possible for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for the ones who hurt us.”
Excerpt from Chapter 3 of The Forgiving Life: A Pathway to Overcoming Resentment and Creating a Legacy of Love
by Dr. Robert Enright.
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The philosopher Nietzsche thought that forgiveness was a sign of weakness. Nietzsche was wrong.
Samantha, I agree with you. Who died and made Nietzsche god?? Wasn’t he one of those who thought he was overseeing the “death” (decline in influence) of God? This is another instance of his wrong-headedness.
For anyone who has tried to forgive someone for really bad behavior forgiveness is anything but a weakness. Nietzsche thought that to forgive is to cave into others’s power. Surely, some people cave into power, but they are not forgiving.
I think that the only ones who think forgiveness is a sign of weakness have never really tried forgiveness.