Art of Forgiveness

All of us have been wronged by someone or the other. As we carry on with those grudges, we
not only allow the other person to hurt us, but also let him/her control our life each moment.
Revenge and turnmoil eat our soul and engulf our life.

The most creative power given to human beings is the power to heal the wounds of the past, the
power to forgive. Forgiveness is the power that God has given us for healing ourselves. It aligns
us with the cosmic scheme through which we learn to accept the occurrence of events in our
lives. Forgiving is the essence of spirituality because it liberates us from our suffering.

Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, is full of verses that emphasize the need to
forgive. Bure da bhala mana gussa man na vasa (be grateful to the one who is bad to you since
he/she is only an instrument. Dont allow anger to fester in your mind), goes one verse.

We think that forgiveness is an excuse for escapism, inaction or cowardice and only those who
cannot fight forgive. But there is a difference between fearing and forgiving. It is incorrect to
believe that our decision to forgive will turn us into a coward. The Bible says forgiving is a sign
of power.

Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our trust, nor does it
mean we accept the persons behavior. It merely means that we erase the hate within
ourselves and stop living a life of torment and pain.

Forgiveness heals the past releasing the ill-will against the person while not forgetting the pain
that guides our future actions. The first step of forgiveness is recognizing that by holding on
to our grudges to make the other person unhappy we are actually making ourselves
unhappy.

The truth is that attachment to the hurtful past doesnt harm the other person, but negatively
impacts our emotional well being. Martin Luther had said, forgiveness is pure happiness.