Do I have to have empathy for the one who hurt me if I am to forgive well? Right now I am angry with the one who was unfair.
It is completely normal to feel angry at the one who was unfair to you. Empathy, or figuratively “stepping inside the other’s shoes,” can help you see the person as more than the injustice against you. It is an important part of forgiving. As you “step inside the other’s shoes,” it is also important to be open to the positive response of compassion toward this other person. Compassion is the softened heart of being willing to suffer with the other, who may have suffered in the past by others’ injustice against this person. Compassion may reduce your ongoing and intense anger against the one who was unjust to you.
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