When you forgive, you're the one who benefits. Remember, forgiveness is not about excusing one's past behaviour or actions: instead, it is a process that allows you to free yourself of any burden or grudge weighing you down.
Idea 1:
One is a quote from Neil Donald Walsh in his book Conversations with God. He says “I have sent you nothing but angels. Every person who enters your life–little, small, or big, good or bad–is a fellow angel there to teach you something.” So I find that thinking about that philosophy helps.
Idea 2:
Another philosophy I think of is the phrase “Hurt people, hurt people.” This means that everybody who hurts you is doing it because they hurt themselves at some level. They’re just passing it on. But you have the ability to cut that cord and stop the hurt. So you don’t continue passing it on. Think about human history, right? How nations fight nations for generations because of this crazy idea “Hurt people hurt people.” But when we can forgive, we can move on. Feel empathy.
Idea 3:
Bill Bullard said “Knowledge is the lowest form of learning. Empathy is the highest form of learning.” Empathy means you can see things from another person’s point of view, and really seek to understand them. Empathy is one of the most significant forms of intelligence we can develop. That’s all it takes. Now it doesn’t mean you will forgive someone immediately. For certain acts, it can take years. But this is the first step. And you never know how powerful this can be until you try it.
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