Forgiveness is a noble human trait that makes you a better and an invaluable human being. Whether you receive or give forgiveness, it lightens your heart, and fills it with gratitude. When you don’t forgive a person, it occupies a rented space in your heart and stays with you till you forgive them. The grudges that you hold in your heart makes you rigid. Only when you release all those past emotions, you can become free, and becomes one with your own nature. Let us know more about the importance of forgiveness.
You may feel that forgiveness is an act that show you weak. Due to pride, and ego, you resist the thought of forgiving the person. You need to know if you value your ego, and self-pride over your very nature i.e., compassion, then the resentment inside you, will eat you up. You can’t be free from that bitterness, and anger. There is no sense of carrying the feeling of hatred, and antipathy with you throughout your life. Forgiveness help you feel free from the pent-up emotions. It makes you soft, and pure and that is your very nature!
It has also been proved, that any disease, be it a mental ailment, or a physical ailment, it starts in your mind. When you hold grudges, or resentment against someone, it will impact your entire body. Sooner, or later, it will show up in some form of a disease. In other words, your inability to forgive due to your ego, and pride, will ultimately harm your body. When you forgive someone, it works like erasing all negativeness that you have been holding against them.
It is not always that others hurt us, sometimes we also hurt others knowingly or unknowingly. In this case also forgiveness is important. When we hurt others, then it fills our heart with guilt and that turns into sadness. You start to feel that you are not a good person. Such feeling is also damaging for your health. You need to get freed from it. Along with asking the other person to forgive you, it is equally important to forgive yourself. Take it as a learning and move ahead. However, don’t take it as an excuse to keep repeating the mistake again and again and forgiving yourself.
If you are afraid of going to the person and ask for forgiveness, then you can even do it in your thoughts. We all are connected to each other on the soul level. When you think positive about others, it reaches to them, and vice versa. So, when you think that you have done wrong to anybody, then sit in a relaxed state, close your eyes, and remember that person. Now ask them to forgive for all the hurt that you have caused to them. Your sincere apology will reach to them, and their soul will forgive you. In this way, you will get freed from the guilt.
In the same way, if you are hurt by someone, then you can forgive them if they come to you, or do it on the thought level for your open happiness. Remember them and feel that you have forgiven them and have no negative feelings towards them.
The act of forgiveness shows that you love yourself more than anyone else. To protect your own mental and physical state, there is no other way than forgiveness. Practice the skill of empathy, and seek forgiveness for others, and for yourself from time to time.
In terms of spirituality, when you don’t forget yourself, and accumulate the feeling of anger for others, you take on bad karma. You need to suffer for those sins later on in your life. Forgiveness is one such act that release you from the bad feelings towards anyone, and prevents you from accumulating any sins. Look the world from a higher perspective.
Don’t associate wrongdoings with the person. Remember that “As you sow, so shall you reap”. See the other person as just a medium to give you the same experience of suffering that you may have caused to someone else in your past. Be grateful for him that he made you suffer and released you from sins. Don’t accumulate more sins by holding grudges against them.
Also read: Importance of respect in life
Forgive everyone. It clears your mind, frees your soul, reduces burden, breaks the patterns of negative thoughts, and preserves your kindness from getting ruined. If you love yourself, put your ego aside, and learn to forgive people. It is also what one of our most revered saints, “Lord Mahavira” has preached. So, practice forgiveness to lead a peaceful, and happier life.