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- Thread starterjacobtk
- Start date
reality2k4
Registrant
I sure gave enough in my life to have a better life today.
In some ways I do, but other ways not.
I believe in the Karma stuff, and I read loads on Indian teachings especially the Shamanic peoples.
Think of a world that is full of peace, and everybody living in harmony.
Think of the world today, one of war and violence, starvation and misery.
War begets violence which in turn leads to societal violence.
Is it too much to ask, no, we were born with that right and it was taken away, I hope to reawaken it,
ste
In some ways I do, but other ways not.
I believe in the Karma stuff, and I read loads on Indian teachings especially the Shamanic peoples.
Think of a world that is full of peace, and everybody living in harmony.
Think of the world today, one of war and violence, starvation and misery.
War begets violence which in turn leads to societal violence.
Is it too much to ask, no, we were born with that right and it was taken away, I hope to reawaken it,
ste
Jacobtk, I'm going to skip right to the source on this. The need for forgiveness is entrenched in the single most important Law in the world, the Golden Rule:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
This rule appears in every culture on the planet, from Christianity to Stone Age religions in the Pacific Islands. The core of human interaction and survival is reciprocity. The Golden Rule.
I think the quote you included above ("Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.) is simply the Golden Rule, reworded. Forgiveness is not something we give up, or that is taken from us, it is something we give voluntarily. The Golden Rule says the rest. If we forgive those who wrong us, it may lead others to forgive our wrongs to them or other people who have wronged them. This builds harmony.
Self-forgiveness is just the extension of the Golden Rule to apply to the self. For me, self-forgiveness meant forgiving myself for all the terrible things I did to other people, and, (and this is important)all the terrible things I did to myself before I recovered from my abuse. By forgiving yourself you are at peace and you no longer blame yourself for failing.
As to why we should obey the Golden Rule? The answer to that question is the Secret of Life. By that, I mean I don't know. From a purely "Human" perspective, I think spreading love is preferable to causing hurt. Spreading love encourages harmony in human relationships, and harmony brings Peace. And Peace is our ultimate goal as a civilisation.
To answer your question, I think the benefits from Peace are far greater than what we give up when we forgive. Peace is the ultimate goal of humanity and it is what we are all aspiring to achieve. There is no higher calling, nor is there a more rewarding endeavour than the achievement of the day when all people live in a world of Peace, Hope and Love.
Nobby
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
This rule appears in every culture on the planet, from Christianity to Stone Age religions in the Pacific Islands. The core of human interaction and survival is reciprocity. The Golden Rule.
I think the quote you included above ("Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.) is simply the Golden Rule, reworded. Forgiveness is not something we give up, or that is taken from us, it is something we give voluntarily. The Golden Rule says the rest. If we forgive those who wrong us, it may lead others to forgive our wrongs to them or other people who have wronged them. This builds harmony.
Self-forgiveness is just the extension of the Golden Rule to apply to the self. For me, self-forgiveness meant forgiving myself for all the terrible things I did to other people, and, (and this is important)all the terrible things I did to myself before I recovered from my abuse. By forgiving yourself you are at peace and you no longer blame yourself for failing.
As to why we should obey the Golden Rule? The answer to that question is the Secret of Life. By that, I mean I don't know. From a purely "Human" perspective, I think spreading love is preferable to causing hurt. Spreading love encourages harmony in human relationships, and harmony brings Peace. And Peace is our ultimate goal as a civilisation.
To answer your question, I think the benefits from Peace are far greater than what we give up when we forgive. Peace is the ultimate goal of humanity and it is what we are all aspiring to achieve. There is no higher calling, nor is there a more rewarding endeavour than the achievement of the day when all people live in a world of Peace, Hope and Love.
Nobby
Jakobtk
If I may - just sort of thinking out loud here...
It seems to me that the process of forgiveness might be the very last thing in the whole healing process. For many, the prospect of forgiveness is such ridculous notion because of all the pain we are in at the moment. But I can see that at the end of it all, there is the dawn of awareness that we have laid it all to rest, and with that realization, can come the final step of forgiveness. For me, the thought of forgiveness is something that I don't even want to deal with now - I don't need yet another issue or problem on my plate at the moment; yet another thing to feel guilty about. I voluntarily put it on the shelf for that time when I am ready to take it down and look at it on my terms. It just seems to me that forgiveness represenst a very advanced state of recovery which is a wonderful goal, but I'm just not ready for it yet - and don't want to feel bad that I'm not ready for it yet. Not whallowing in hatred, mind you, but just need to take care of myself at this point.
Paul
If I may - just sort of thinking out loud here...
It seems to me that the process of forgiveness might be the very last thing in the whole healing process. For many, the prospect of forgiveness is such ridculous notion because of all the pain we are in at the moment. But I can see that at the end of it all, there is the dawn of awareness that we have laid it all to rest, and with that realization, can come the final step of forgiveness. For me, the thought of forgiveness is something that I don't even want to deal with now - I don't need yet another issue or problem on my plate at the moment; yet another thing to feel guilty about. I voluntarily put it on the shelf for that time when I am ready to take it down and look at it on my terms. It just seems to me that forgiveness represenst a very advanced state of recovery which is a wonderful goal, but I'm just not ready for it yet - and don't want to feel bad that I'm not ready for it yet. Not whallowing in hatred, mind you, but just need to take care of myself at this point.
Paul