Tagged: “perfection”
What does love have to do with it? Do you really think that to forgive, we have to love the one who was brutal to us?
We have to make a very important distinction between what Aristotle calls the Essence of any construct and its Existence. The Essence defines its purest form. Existence is how we actually deal with this construct in the real world. The highest or purest form of forgiving is to love those who do not love you. This is its Essence, for which we have a possible goal. In reality, in Existence, this is not always possible for us. The legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers football team, Vince Lombardi, once said, “…..if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” So, we should be aware of the Essence of forgiveness so that, even if unattainable in some cases, we can reach a higher sense of forgiveness, an excellence of forgiving such as genuine respect toward the other, that might not have been possible otherwise.
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Thank you for answering my question about getting to know what forgiveness is. I have another question for you: Is it possible for most people to go through the forgiveness process (your 20-unit Process Model) in a genuine way and to the full extent of forgiving?
I again, will refer to Aristotle and his wisdom about becoming perfected in the moral virtues. According to Aristotle’s observations, all people have the potential for perfection in the moral virtues, but we do not reach that highest level of perfection because we are imperfect beings. This actually keeps life interesting. As we strive to get better in forgiveness or justice or love, we always have room for more improvement. Yes, we do get better with practice, but no matter what our age or experience, we can look forward to more insights, surprises, and growth.
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