Why is forgiveness so difficult, especially when deeply hurt by others?
Forgiveness is a moral virtue, as are justice, patience, and kindness, as examples. All moral virtues have at their core the principle of being good to others. For example, in the context of justice, if you contract with a carpenter to build a chair for you, then you pay for this once it is done. You get the chair and the carpenter receives the money. Both are satisfied because both share in the moral good of the event. With forgiveness, one person has behaved without good and the other person, the forgiver, responds deliberately with moral good. It is hard to be good when that goodness is not reciprocal. This is why forgiveness is such a heroic moral virtue. Through one’s own pain, the forgiver offers goodness.
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