Forgiveness

I was listening to "Good Morning Sunday" today and was very impressed by an interview with Desmond Tutu's daughter.

Here's a link and a bit of blurb:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gms (it's 15 mins long)

Rev Mpho Tutu 15 JUN 14
Duration:?15 mins ??Available:?30 days remaining
The Reverend Mphu Tutu is an Episcopal Priest and Executive Director of The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. She's the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and with whom she has co-authored "The Book of Forgiving", published in April. At the beginning of May they launched together "The Tutu Global Forgiveness Challenge" to help everyone learn how to forgive and see the benefits of forgiveness in their own lives.
There is a photo of her on this page - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046np7p - sheÂ’s stunningly beautiful.

Love and peace,

Judy

Hi Judy,

While I agree with everything you've said, I think people have to arrive at forgiveness in their own time. It must be measured and thought out and can take years for it to happen. True forgiveness is very spiritual and real.

Love,
Patsy.
xxxxx

Hi Patsy,

Hi Judy,

While I agree with everything you've said, I think people have to arrive at forgiveness in their own time. It must be measured and thought out and can take years for it to happen. True forgiveness is very spiritual and real.

Love,
Patsy.
xxxxx

The tragic thing is though that some people never reach forgiveness - at least in this present experience - and they live miserable, tortured lives. When you look back at the reasons behind so many national and ethnic conflicts, so often, the holding onto past resentments is what is behind it - like Northern Ireland, many of the conflicts in Africa and the Middle East for instance.

When we forgive, we''re not letting anyone off the hook - all will have to face up to the pain they have caused others and change their thinking at some point - but NOT forgiving hurts US, not the perpetrator of the crime.

This is being recognised more and more in secular as well as religious and spiritual practices. Here's something from the Harvard Medical School. http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/power_of_forgiveness

It links to "The 5 Health Benefits of Forgiveness" which starts off:

Buddha once said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

Love and peace,

Judy

Hey Patsy,

Now you've got me going, having Googled the topic! It's one of my favourite subjects! 😉

This one has an actual experience in it, which I always prefer. Loads of abstract theory without examples I feel are meaningless.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_new_science_of_forgiveness

This below is one of my favourite examples of the benefits of forgiveness:

A Jewish lawyer, nicknamed Wild Bill Cody, was in a prisoner of war camp during WWII. http://www.tentmaker.org/newinspiration/chooselove.html

New prisoners assumed that Wild Bill had only just arrived at the camp, because his posture was erect, his eyes bright and his energy indefatigable. However, it turned out that he had been there longer than most, but the difference was love.

“Hate had just killed the six people who mattered most to me in the world. I decided then that I would spend the rest of my life, whether it was a few days or many years, loving every person I came in contact with."

Loving every person . . . this was the power that had kept a man well in the face of every privation.

A Christian pastor, had a terrible call one day to say that his son had been shot and killed.

The anger and hate he felt was destroying him and he realised he had to forgive, as Jesus had directed. This is the letter he wrote to his son's murderer who was in prison:

http://www.drewmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Everetts-Letter.pdf

The rest of the story is here: http://www.drewmagazine.com/2011/12
/uncommon-bond/

And here's the video:

It's less than 6 minutes long - please watch it everyone!

I've got another wonderful story about a Jewish couple who were being persecuted by a member of the Ku Klux Klan, which I will share later, but if anyone knows of similar stories of forgiveness from other religions (or none) I and I'm sure many others would love to hear them.

Love and peace,

Judy

The point that is usually missed surrounding the topic of forgiveness, is that without the input of a judgment to drive the need for forgiveness, then there is simply nothing to forgive. 🙂