The
Beauty of Forgiveness
Life is
short. In fact, life is TOO short. We spend our lives holding on to so much and
for what reason?? Everyday people are going through horrible, unfathomable situations.
These experiences are way beyond what we experience in everyday life here in
America and the fact that certain individuals can turn a wicked scenario into
something that they can forgive is absolutely amazing. There should be more
examples of this human clemency and we should follow the humbleness these
people. Naysayers may say that forgiveness is a sign of weakness and/or that
someone needs to be held accountable but from a state of being healthy as well the
aspect of mind over matter, forgiveness really means so much more that that.
First and
foremost, forgiveness is a wonderful tool in self-healing. The importance of
being healthy is a given and it’s extremely valuable to one’s wellness. You can
live longer, happier and avoid sickness and disease as much as possible.
According to the World health Association, being healthy means “a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (WHO) “. If you are stuck in a condition
of un-forgiveness, you are holding onto a state of anger, resentment,
hatefulness, hostility, bitterness, rage and so on and this negative mental
state does nothing positive for the body. From the general risks of high blood
pressure, risks of drug and alcohol abuse, depression and so on, we can believe
that holding on to these negative emotions is not conducive to one’s health. As
a professional massage therapist, I see so many individuals holding on to states
of utter unhappiness and un-forgiveness. My belief, as well as many others
practicing in the felid, believe that knots are blocks of “pain, anger and
frustration” (KNOTS). This is the physical manifestation of what the
mind can do to our physical bodies. No one likes walking around with a ton of
bricks on their back. You’re like a walking, talking, cranky version of
yourself. Imagine being free of that. Letting go and forgiving will help your
body ‘release’ the pain mentally and physically. You would be one step closer
to being a healthy, prettier, happier version of yourself.
Now, I’m not going to
declare that you should forgive anybody and everybody. Contrary to what I am
saying so far, sometimes forgiveness should come with limits. You never want a mean,
cruel and manipulative person to try and take advantage of you. It’s best to be
smart about how to proceed with each individual. You should use your common
sense or even your lifelines like friends, family and coworkers to help you
with sticky situations. Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, accountability is
extremely important. If someone is committing unspeakable, cruel, illegal,
harmful acts, you should not let that slide so easily. Hopefully, the situation
has been resolved and you can work on forgiveness from there. If it never gets
resolved, it’s wise to make the best of the situation and work on your
forgiveness or else you’ll be building the “anger knots” slowly but surely.
Moving on, how one reaches a state of forgiveness
is up to the individual. It’s a commitment and it’s definitely not going to be
easy. It’s going to take strength, courage, and love. I love the words and wisdom that the Mayo
clinic has advised for individuals to try. For example they suggest that “When you're
ready, actively choose to forgive the person who's offended you”. They have
also suggested that you “move away from your role as victim and release the
control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life”
(MAYO). I believe it’s helpful to remember the people who have forgiven YOU
when you have wronged THEM. Having compassion and understanding will open your
mind and body and free itself of pain, anger and whatever you’re holding on to.
Or perhaps you should try recollecting such individuals like Eva Kor, an actual
Holocaust survivor, who forgave the Nazi’s for such horrible acts they did
while “researching” she and her twin sister. If this woman who has seen and
experienced the most appalling things you can imagine can forgive the people who were responsible for
these acts, I believe smaller, more trivial things would be a piece of cake in
comparison.
To sum up, life is way too short to live it as an unhappy, in
pain, holding on to grudges type of individual. If you learn to forgive, you
may improve the quality of your life. You might experience a sense of
compassion and a sense of freedom from the burdens of all the negative emotions
associated with not wanting to forgive. As long as you stay smart and sharp while
not letting others think you’re too weak, you could be on the wonderful road to
happiness. It’s worth a shot, don’t you think? You’re body and people like me who
come in contact with you on an everyday basis, will thank you.