Sunday, January 10, 2010

Forgiveness (Release and Acceptance)


"Do not judge your neighbor until you walk
two moons in his moccasins."

-Cheyenne Proverb

Words often have a funny way of playing tricks with our minds.
If we cannot fully grasp the meaning of a word we are unable to
understand the concept, or idea, which that word is designed to
describe. The word "Forgiveness" is one such Word.

But before we discuss the concept of Forgiveness, let us first
construct an avenue of Thought to help guide us to a satisfactory
understanding of what this word suggests.

Many spiritual texts teach us that we should be extremely cautious
of judging, criticizing or condemning others; that we should first walk
"two moons in their moccasins".

Each one of us is created different. There are no two people who
are alike. Some people are slightly different from us while others
are dramatically different from us; everyone else falls somewhere
in-between. We tend to Harmonize with (relate to) those individuals
who are similar to us and we tend to avoid those people who are
dramatically different from us.

Each one of us is a unique and Sovereign being who is solely
responsible for his, or her, Actions. Each person's Actions create
either a Karmic Debt, or a Karmic Reward. These Actions also
determine the Path which that person will Travel during his, or her,
Incarnation. If an individual performs Actions which are too far out
of line with the accepted "norms" of society, society will eventually
discipline or remove that person.

Because everyone is different, this means that each person is
acting out a different "role" during their Current Incarnation.
This, in and of itself, does not make that particular person either
"good" or "bad"; it simply means that everyone is different.
Once we accept this Universal Truth, it becomes a simple matter
of allowing only those persons, places, and things into our lives
which are Harmonious with our Divine Nature, and avoiding those
persons, places, and things which are not Harmonious with who
we are.

With our foundation now in place, let us now consider the concept
of Forgiveness.

Just as we must be extremely cautious of judging, condemning, or
criticizing others for being who they are in their Current Incarnation,
so, too, must we be extremely wary of imagining that we can
pompously "forgive" another person for being who they are; for
doing what they have done in the past; or, for doing what they will
do in the future.

Until we accept the Truth that each one of us is a different, unique ,
and Sovereign being, our ego will always find fault with others for
not being exactly like us; for not behaving exactly as we expect
them to behave; and for not doing the things we think they should
be doing. As long as we maintain an attitude of we are right and
everyone else is wrong we will continually feel that we we must
"forgive" others for every little bruise and "owie" they inflict upon
our precious and delicate ego.

To carry this concept of Forgiveness one step further, we may as
well forgive the trees for not coming over to us to provide us with
shade when we require it; we may as well forgive the chipmunk
for going into our picnic basket and feasting on one of our deserts;
heck, we may as well also forgive the sun for making us sweat.

If we carry this mis-understood, and mis-guided, concept of
Forgiveness to its extreme, we would spend our entire life forgiving
every person, animal, plant, place, and thing for being what they
were created to be and we would never accomplish anything for
ourselves.

When we break down the word Forgive we find that it consists of
the two Words "fore" and "give". Fore means beforehand and Give
means to bestow, to release, to understand. Therefore, the Word
Forgive can be translated to mean: to understand, or release,
beforehand
. When we accept people, places, animals, and things
for what they truly are beforehand, there is no need, whatsoever,
for us to be entrapped by this misguided concept of Forgiveness.
We now begin to see forgiveness as one big "guilt trip" laid upon
us by the various factions of society.

Furthermore, in order for us to feel that we must "forgive", we must
first hold a grudge or have a "score to settle". In effect, we are
chaining ourselves to - we are embracing and living in - The Past.
This holding on to The Past, whether it is a bitter Relationship, a
deep sorrow, or a festering wound, is in fact a mental continuation
of a Relationship or Event which no longer exists; we are binding
ourselves to a Self-Imposed Limitation of our own making.

When we Choose to Release, and no longer live in, The Past, it
becomes impossible for us to hold a "grudge". Once we no longer
hold a grudge, there is no longer anything for us to "forgive".
Upon reaching this level of Awareness we accept The Past for
what it truly is: a mental repository of experiences and Lessons,
a Wizard's Staff, which trains us on how to handle, and anticipate,
future situations.

By Accepting, and understanding, all persons, places, Events, and
things for what they truly are, and by Releasing all Past mental
miseries from our lives, we banish the specter of Forgiveness from
our egos. We rid ourselves of all false bonds and misguided guilts
which have deceptively gained access to our mind. We become free
to experience and enjoy our future without any mental shackles to
those Past persons, places, Events, and things which have been
hampering our physical, mental, and spiritual growth. It is at this
point that we are able to merrily prance into each new tomorrow
in pursuit of our dreams, ambitions, and personal Destiny.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2010
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