Forgiveness

There is a lot of anger and frustration today. We can turn it into peace in one simple way. How? 

The answer is forgiveness, something basic to life that is taught to us from an early age. 

But being taught it, and practicing it are two different things. In practice it is difficult, especially in a self righteous punishment based society that attempts to use our anger to divide and conquer.

I, like many, was raised on "forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing". 

And that is right. Do any of us know? We do not. 

Omniscience, or the ability to know everything, is a skill we normally attribute to the gods. No human possesses it.

If we could understand everything, we would forgive anything. 

But because we can never know the complete picture, we should refrain from passing judgement, and practice kindness and understanding instead.

Jesus taught his followers to forgive infinitely, to love infinitely. He didn't just teach it. More powerfully, he lived it right to the end.  

Buddha did not directly address forgiveness, but asked us to let go of anger because holding on to it is like "grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned". 

To rid ourselves of anger and hate, forgiveness is the way. Forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves.

We have to let it go, for our own health, and the health of our world.

Instead of dividing, the act of forgiveness and ridding ourselves of anger brings us together, and together is the only way we will ever survive as a species.

It is the only way to turn anger into peace.