Forgiveness...

[Patrick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO0eRFe-xQA


That's touching.

It's not everyday that you have an opportunity to make a serial killer cry because of love and forgiveness.

[Brittany]

I know plenty of extremely kind, good-hearted people who send love and forgiveness to everyone...except some particular group of offenders they draw the line at. Rapists. Torturers. Murderers. Child molesters. They cannot see these people as human, because that would involve finding the rapist, murderer, torturer and child molester in themselves. We've all lived numerous incarnations, and I find it highly improbable that anyone can evolve beyond 3D with a completely spotless record. Even the purest of us have, at some point or another in our soul evolution, committed heinous atrocities. I'd be willing to bet money on it. And ultimately are we not all One? Forgiving another of these beings involves forgiving ourselves at a soul level as well, and is that not so much more difficult?

I remember when I first began getting into new age thinking...I was reading a book that talked about loving people like child molesters, and I was aghast. This book dissolved the concept of damnation and spoke of non-judgment, and I was enraged. Those people had to be punished, and the good people rewarded! It wouldn't be fair otherwise! My journey from that moment years ago has been an expansive one, as I've learned to open my heart one degree at a time- learned that you don't have to support or beautify negative acts in order to love the one committing them, loving them not for their choices, but because their existence is precious.

I've spent this incarnation working off a good bit of karma from some of my own more monstrous incarnations. In a few cases I have been fortunate enough to meet people with whom I have karmic agreements that are remembered by both parties. I've spoken to an entity who murdered me in the past, and we are now the best of friends. I have also met a man that I owned as a slave in a particular incarnation. I was very cruel to him in that lifetime, yet now, again, we are great friends. Mutually releasing that karma and embracing each other in love...I can't even describe the freedom in that act. It is pure, unbounded joy.

I do not believe in a heaven where good people are eternally rewarded or a hell where the evil are cast into a pit of fire forever and ever. However, one can rest assured that the consequences of every action will eventually find themselves manifest. Often in the past I have held onto my anger at those who had hurt me because it felt like I would be losing something if I let it go- losing a battle that in truth was illusory. Some karmic debts cycle on and on for ages because of this stubborn desire to "win the battle", but the moment that karma is released, the relief is instantaneous and transcends time.

Of course, if someone were to murder my whole family in front of my eyes, I doubt love and forgiveness would be the first thought on my mind. I'd like to say it would be, but I'm human, not a programmed robot. Very likely I'd be seeing red and hungering for blood. I do, however, have faith in my own heart enough to believe that in time, when the shock and horror had faded, that even in such a devastating circumstance I could bring myself to show love to a fellow aspect of the Creator, for when you can show love in the face of its absence, you become truly indestructible.

I'm not much of a Bible person, but I was a Christian for 20 years and I can't help but think of this passage:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (Romans 12:20-21)

I think it's safe to say the criminal in this video had coals aplenty heaped onto his head by the few words of one forgiving man. Hate just isn't worth the festering disease it breeds. A single seed of loving forgiveness is worth everything.

[BlatzAdict]

A single seed of loving forgiveness is worth everything.

Man I couldn't have said it better.

I definately fit in that category, I've done some things I'm not proud of. and as far as forgiving people, I think the hardest was to forgive my own father. Took a while. but it feels good to have that settled.

[AnthroHeart]

I'm fortuante to have a life where I don't have too much to have to forgive. A few odd circumstances, but nothing bad. Forgiving myself has been the main thing.

[Ankh]

Thank you for sharing this, Patrick. These kind of things bring hope.

[Patrick]

<shameless bump>

[Meerie]

<shameless bump>

You are forgiven, Patrick.

[reeay]

This is my favorite site: The Forgiveness Project (beautiful stories about people's experiences around forgiveness, from all over the world)

http://theforgivenessproject.com