Author Archive: directorifi

Thank you for helping me see that I can forgive my grandmother, who is no longer among the living.  Do you have a resource that you could share with me about forgiving someone who has passed away?

Yes, here is an essay I wrote about that on the Psychology Today website:

Can You Forgive a Person Who Has Died?, November 1, 2018

I began the process of extending forgiveness to my mother. As I traveled this path, I came to see that my grandmother, who died before I was born, mistreated her. Despite never having met her, should I also extend forgiveness to my grandmother?

You can forgive your grandmother, yes. Trudy Govier, a philosopher, refers to this as secondary forgiveness. Because of what she did to your mother, your grandmother was indirectly unfair to you, even though she was not outright unjust to you.

What if I think that forgiveness is not a good solution to injustice?  What then is the role of forgiveness in this context?

Since the moral virtue of justice is what is necessary to right a wrong, forgiveness is not a solution to injustice. In response to injustice, forgiveness entails facing its effects, which may include anger, strained relationships, and discord in the family or organization. If you decide to forgive, it is important to manage these negative consequences. Therefore, I believe you are asking the wrong question regarding forgiveness if you think it will solve the issue of injustice. Rather than asking how forgiveness will resolve this issue, the more accurate question is this: How can forgiveness help me (and us) overcome the negative effects of the injustice?

Is it possible for those who have been oppressed by injustice to live in a community that is forgiving? Shouldn’t we first acknowledge the injustice and perhaps work to overcome it before considering forgiveness on a community level?

By recognizing oppression and referring to it as unfair, one can acknowledge it. It is acceptable to be angry about oppression. However, if forgiveness is delayed until the injustice has been resolved, the oppressors benefit from both the initial and continuous oppression and the oppressed people’s lingering, unhealthy anger or resentment. Over time, the animosity could become so intense that it destroys families and individuals in that oppressed community. At the very least, forgiveness eliminates the one issue of harmful animosity—-deep anger within the community.  Those with reduced anger then might have more focus and energy to confront and correct the injustice.

Is it more difficult to forgive someone who has anger in the heart than someone else who has grief in the heart as a consequence of unfair treatment?

Both can be challenging. I believe that it is more difficult to forgive when the anger is really strong, in the form of an ongoing resentment, which might be accompanied, at least at times for some people, by hatred. Some people are so furious that they cannot even use the term “forgiveness” because it makes their anger worse. When people experience intense grief, they also may have a lack of energy and require some time to adjust. During these periods, it is essential to be gentle with oneself as one navigates the process of grief.