3 ideas and a question: On forgiveness
The impact of forgiveness on us and on them
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Idea 1
When we forgive someone, we increase the likelihood they will want to interact with us in ways that will preserve or reconcile the relationship. When we refuse to forgive, or just fail to explicitly forgive, new research suggests we add an unexpected wrinkle to the situation: We may inadvertently leave the wrongdoer feeling like a victim too.
— Offenders feel like victims when their victims don’t forgive them
Idea 2
Researchers found that people who have forgiven a past offense still remember what happened with clarity, but their emotional response when recalling the event is less intense and less negative.
— Scientists shed light on how forgiveness does and doesn’t reshape memories
Idea 3
Forgiveness can be an act of choosing our freedom, not just giving them theirs. As Nelson Mandela walked toward the prison gates to his freedom, he felt anger well up inside. Then he realized, “If I hated them after I got outside that gate, then they would still have me. I wanted to be free, so I let it go.”
Question
Who is awaiting your forgiveness?