forgiveness- an act of kindness

Forgive- 1: to cease to feel resentment against an offender

             2: to give up resentment of or claim to requital for

(according to a 40 year old Webster dictionary which, i must mention is sure to bring a fortune in sometime if it survives the present bug infested and dust coated state..or may be i can pass it on as a family heirloom thing)

Why the sudden fuss about a word?! I have but recently discovered the beauty of forgiveness...it has been a long time since i have been benevolent enough to do so... "stuck-up" is a word i would like to use... may be i found the mistake too huge or the person too close to have hurt.. but either way i was "stuck-up" to remain angry when forgiveness was asked.. (it does sound like a confession ,doesn’t it?)..as i sat by the powai lake today watching the sun setting..it looked like the lake was swallowing up the blazing ball of fire..like it was beckoning it into it's infinite coolness.. calling it into the comfort of its cool arms forgiving it for being so hot and loosing on water (talk about imagination)..but this absurd yet curious thought triggered something deep inside..the concept of acceptance and forgiveness.. i guess somethings can never be changed and somethings have to be forgiven and forgotten or ignored for one’s happiness....

Resentment, revenge are emotions of negativity. They haven’t always worked out as the best choice of action.. of course there is no denial that without them movies would be quite boring without the hero seeking vengeance on the villain. But on a more practical life basis all they have done is create high blood pressure for the seeker which no doubt leads to many more complications..

                        

                          To forgive is to forget, but to forget is not to forgive...

Forgetting is a temporary solution.. its like the crocin we take to control fever.. fever being a symptom.. but forgiveness is the medicine, the cure for the disease..

             

      Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

                                                                                                         -Mark Twain   

It is as sweet as the fragrance of violet though the heel which crushed it is hard..

You forgive me for liking you too much,
And I'll forgive you for not liking me enough.

You forgive me for missing you so,
And I'll forgive you for being so cold.

You forgive me for the loud racing of my heart,
And I'll forgive you for not hearing it.

You forgive me for playing your games,
And I'll forgive you for toying with my emotions.

You forgive me for finding you so attractive,
And I'll forgive you for not noticing.

You forgive me for raising you up so high,
And I'll forgive you for bringing me down so low.

You forgive me for wanting to be with you,
And I'll forgive you for avoiding me.

You forgive me for being so pathetic,
And I'll forgive you for taking advantage of it.

You forgive me for not being able to let go,
And I'll forgive you for never having latched on.

You forgive me for having hopes and dreams,
And I'll forgive you for crushing them.

Forgiveness brings inner peace.
Do we have a deal?

And no i can't take credit for the above poem...but i couldn't help myself from posting it....

so forgive and forget cause you never know you might lose something worthwhile by just being a "hard-headed rhino" ( which is tempting and not at all difficult, speaking from experience)..

      To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.

                                                                        - Lewis .B Smedes