How to Forgive, Forget andLet Go ①Forgiving someone does not mean releasing them from anearlier guilt. What if the person who wronged you is not living? What if theperson is someone who made you extremely embarrassed during school 20 or 30years ago? Letting go of emotional pain does not mean that nothing happened; itmeans that you no longer want to be controlled by it. ②Recognize that forgiveness is not denial. Whatever caused thepain was a real incident. Denying that it happened means it is too painful towork through the emotions. There is no timeline on forgiveness. Some steps takelonger to get through, and it is acceptable to set them aside for a period oftime. Part of forgiveness is understanding whether or not someone takesresponsibility for what happened, and may even show regret. ③Understand that not everyone who forgives reconciles with theperson who caused the pain. There are relationships that are harmful and evenphysically dangerous. While it is possible to forgive the past and move beyondit, it may also mean that the person who was involved can no longer play anactive role in your life. If a person or a situation is not safe, it may bebest not to reconcile the relationship now. Work on forgiveness at a time whenyou are emotionally healthy and physically safe. ④Make a conscious decision to forgive someone. Even if theynever apologize for what happened, determine within yourself that it is fine toproceed without this apology. Apologies should not be asking for forgiveness.Apologies should be offered as an effort of true regret. They should be admittingthat taking personal responsibility for the situation is important. Evenwithout that apology, make up your mind to forgive, forget, and eventually letgo. 翻译上述文章
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