On forgiveness

Eric Ball: feels that the resistance to forgive is an attachment to the need to be right. When we lack the capacity to forgive others, it is an indication that we also find it difficult to forgive ourselves. The power of forgiveness is liberating, because it allows the flow of good into your life.

I found this on facebook and decided to quote it. Forgiveness and acceptance of the past comes up a lot in our practice, in one way or another. From time to time we also encounter perfectionism of a variety which is crippling, to the point of paralysis for some. We all have standards, and that's a good thing. But the choice of accepting the flow of life can really get dammed up when judgment is too harsh.

In the grand scheme, "who's right?" can't be the factor in deciding who or what to forgive or to withhold forgiveness from. After all the "unforgivable" does occur, and what do you do then? You can never really move on until you forgive. Not to be confused with approval, nor with being a doormat, forgiveness is for the benefit of those who were harmed, lest a festering wound becomes an evil seed over time.

And that's how it works really-- become the thing which you despise if you work at it hard enough. Not a fun thing to wake up to one fine day. "Hey, I didn't know that hatred is contagious. Why didn't I wash my hands more? I need a shot of Love-a-cillin."