Prompt: Forgive and forget, I think.
When it comes to situations where someone tells you to forgive and forget, I think it is best to trust your instincts. Some events are better off forgotten while some events challenge us to learn something. In the case of forgiveness, I think it depends on the person. If they betray you and tell you that you must forgive them, and then betray you again, it really isn't beneficial that you forgot or forgave them. Instead, you are stuck in a vicious cycle where the only way out is to say, "I can't be your friend anymore." Second chances do exist, but I knew someone who took advantage of them and it became a second, then third and then even a fourth chance. By the time I got to the fourth, I realized how completely stupid I had been. I was being used for my kindness. I vowed then and there to never offer more than a second chance. So I think forgetting can hurt you sometimes. If you forget what someone did to you, and then it happens all over again, how is that a beneficial decision? Also, what does it mean to forgive someone? Do you have to be friends again? Are you not allowed to feel hurt or angry anymore when a similar situation happens to you? No it isn't good to cling to the past, but I think forgetting can allow events and situations to happen all over again. So my theory with forgive and forget: do what feels right to your heart, and always trust yourself.
I think it's more important to forgive and not forget. Forgiving is important to do-- it does not mean you have to be someone's friend or even be with him/her anymore after he/she has betrayed you-- what it means is that you accepted what happened and decided to move beyond it without keeping hostile feelings for them. Sometimes it is not as easy as saying the words and you have to feel them. Forgiveness is important coming from you so you (and he/she) know(s) that you have moved on and become a bigger person. Never forget. As you said, learn from it, and move forward... and sometimes, forgiveness is part of that process. :)
ReplyDeleteWell said. I agree. Forgiveness is important. It is not always easy to forget. It needs to be put in a category called "lessons learned". Moving on is the best thing to do. Forgive and then move on.
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