News
Should an Apology Lead to Legal Pardon in the Philippines?
ManilaStandardToday.com, Manila, Philippines – A man who ran a red light and was ticketed by a law enforcement officer has apologized for hitting the officer with his fist. He is hoping for a legal pardon because his job requires the use of a car. Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino made the distinction between the officer accepting the apology and the Development Authority continuing with justice.
Motorist Robert Blair Carabuena issued a public apology for berating and hitting the traffic officer who tried to cite him for going through a red light. Despite the apology, the Land Transportation Office maintained that Carabuena should be held accountable for his action.
“LTO will not accept the public apology of Carabuena. He violated a law. He should be accountable for his action. Regardless of whether he gets pardoned by the MMDA traffic enforcer, the LTO will determine its own independent course of action,” said LTO Metro Manila director Teofilo Guadiz.
Story is here: Forgive me, Carabuena asks authorities.
How Forgiving Are You?
News item that could make a difference in your life: Did you know that Dr. Enright’s newly released book, The Forgiving Life, is being produced in conjunction with a major publisher of psychological scales and tests called Mind Garden? Mind Garden has set up on their website three forgiveness scales that are discussed in the book, The Forgiving Life. You can go on-line to MindGarden.com and fill out the forgiveness scales. Mind Garden then does all the work to score your responses and to let you know how forgiving or unforgiving you are toward any particular person. Mind Garden can then chart your progress in forgiving after you have worked through the process of forgiveness in the book.
Mind Garden is an independent publisher of psychological assessments and instruments. The company’s goal is to “preserve and grow” important psychological assessments. In the quest to grow the health of the human psyche, it facilitates feedback and self understanding.
Mind Garden serves members of the academic, research, and consulting communities by offering high quality, proven instruments from prominent professionals. Mind Garden has partnered with Dr. Robert Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, to create a series of scales related his latest book The Forgiving Life. Jump to Mind Garden.
Forgiveness and Understanding at Oak Creek Sikh Vigil
The Hindu.com – People from the Sikh community along with neighbors and community members gathered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on August 7 to reflect on the violence that befell this community on Sunday. Many expressed forgiveness for the man who killed six worshippers at the Sikh Temple. The police chief of the town said this: “In 28 years of law enforcement, I have seen a lot of hate. I have seen a lot of revenge. I’ve seen a lot of anger. What I saw, particularly from the Sikh community this week was compassion, concern, support.”
One of the community members who attended the vigil, Teri Pelzek, said she had barely heard of Sikhs. “I knew nothing about them at all. I don’t think a lot of people did. When we don’t know about somebody’s religion we assume the worst.”
Ms. Pelzek said that in a country so often unforgiving and vengeful it was startling to see the Sikh response to the tragedy. “It surprised everyone when they were victims of someone so full of hatred. Because of their reaction, saying they’d like to forgive and move on, I think that’s quite the attitude to hear after what just happened,” she said.
A Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness
Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah – Chris Williams made a decision as he stared out the shattered windshield of his overturned car, fully and painfully aware that his wife, their unborn son, 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were dead. He decided to forgive the driver who caused the wreck.
On Feb. 9, 2007, the Williams family was on their way home from a night out when 17-year-old Cameron White, driving from the other direction, slammed into the side of their car. It happened too fast for Chris Williams, who was driving, to get out of the way.
White would later plead guilty to four counts of second-degree felony automobile homicide (charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an injury accident were dropped). But before Williams even knew the teen’s name or the circumstances, he knew he had to let it (the act) go.
At the time of the accident in 2007, Williams did not realize the impact his decision would have on the community. In the years since, his story has become a sermon on healing and forgiveness. Williams has endeavored to help members of his ward and state congregations, family members, and even people he didn’t know to heal from this and other personal tragedies. He’s given talks, was featured in a Mormon Messages video and has now written a book, Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness.
Study Finds Forgiveness is Good for Your Heart
ZeeNews.com – Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have discovered that people who let go of their anger and forgive were less likely to see spikes in blood pressure. That’s good news, the researchers say, because longer periods of high blood pressure or hypertension increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.
The study, published in the Journal of Biobehavioural Medicines, found that forgiveness could “lower reactivity” to stressful events and even offer “sustained protection” from the physical impact.
The study asked over 200 volunteers to think about a time when a friend had offended them. Half of the group were told to think about how it had angered them while the other half were encouraged to consider it in a more forgiving way.
The participants were then all distracted for five minutes after which they were told to think about the event again in any way they chose.
The participants were wired up to monitors, which took blood pressure and heart rate readings. The team, led by Dr. Britta Larsen, found the angry group saw the greatest increase in blood pressure compared to the forgiving group after the first ruminating session.
