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Jae Hyun Kim

Eng 101 Section 08
Bro. Krauel
22nd March, 2016

Power of Forgiveness
Jesus Christ, also known as Jehovah, is the Mediator and the Savior who sacrificed
himself in atonement for all the sins of the world. He is the first prophet of God who brought the
full and everlasting gospel to the world, and traveled across the world teaching, healing, curing,
and spreading love. He went around teaching the people many principles that can lead them back
to God including: love, hope, fortitude, virtue, wisdom, patience, courage, integrity, etc. Out of
all these life-changing principles, the one I can most connect myself with is forgiveness.
Although many would view forgiveness as a simple principle that will boost ones spirituality, it
can also benefit in many other aspects. Practicing forgiveness can not only benefit ones
spirituality, but as well as their professional and personal life. Recently, I have gained a better
understanding of forgiveness through personal experience and am working towards mastering
self-reliance with the role forgiveness plays in my spiritual, personal, and professional life.
The more we open ourselves up to God and the Gospel, the easier it becomes for us to
love others with the pure love of Christ. However, the less our hearts are filled with love, the
more we suffer. Forgiveness is one of the key principles that lead to the basic foundation of the
Gospel, love. The doctrine Christ taught about forgiveness is clear: Forgive one another; for he
that forgiveth not [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater
sin. Without it we would be overcome by the destructive spirit of contention, resentment, and
revenge (Uchtdorf, 2012). With it, something good and pure will happen to us. Feelings of

resentment, bitterness, and malice are universal, and where there is negative feelings, there also
is a chance for forgiveness. Forgiveness has been a big part of my life recently due to many
sudden changes in the environment and the people. As I was struggling with feelings of
resentment, I remembered what Jesus Christ asked, Father, forgive them; for they know not
what they do. (Bible, Luke 23:34). This helped change my perspective and understanding of
others. By constantly trying to put myself in others shoe, I became more successful at applying
forgiveness. Many times, we like to think that simply practicing something will assist us in
becoming more successful at it. However, with crucial concepts such as forgiveness, practice and
effort are definitely essential, but there also needs to be a strong desire to love others and to
change, as well as the understanding that everyone is a child of God.
I feel that it is a bit ironic to correlate gospel principles to selfish benefits and reluctant to
share the benefits forgiveness can bring to an individual, but since it is the truth and somewhat
motivational, I will discuss the benefits forgiveness can bring to an individual in a psychological
level. Negative feelings like hatred, anger, and resentment can lead one to suffering both
mentally and physically. Just as negative feelings can bring negative mental and physical results,
positive feelings can bring positive mental and physical results. A YouTube video titled The
Power of Forgiveness l The Science of Happiness shows the correlation between forgiveness and
positive mental and physical benefits it brings: reduced stress, better heart health, lower anxiety,
lower pain perception, and higher overall happiness (Bernstein, 2013, 0:47). The video started by
examining the happiness level of test subjects and went through a series of experiments
including: writing down what they want to say to the forgivee, talking in the mirror as if they
were talking with whoever they wrote for, etc. After the series of experiments, they were tested
again for the level of happiness. The average increase in happiness was 8% but the highest

increase was 28% (Bernstein, 2013, 5:57). Most people think that forgiveness is between two
people, but it actually doesnt require anyone except ourselves. Forgiveness doesnt mean we
need to reconcile or compromise with the other party, its something we do for ourselves to lower
our psychological distress by getting rid of those negative emotions. The article A Therapeutic
Model of Self-Forgiveness With Intervention Strategies for Counselors examines the effect selfforgiveness can play in an individuals social life, People who are more self-forgiving are also
more likely to have positive relationships and positive interactions with others. Forgiveness is
not a multiplayer, it can be but it doesnt have to be, it is mostly a single-player game. By
mastering the art of self-forgiveness we can strengthen our mental and physical capabilities, as
shown in the YouTube video, as well as our interactions with others according to the article. This
skill of practicing forgiveness as a single-player is most effective in cases where you arent able
to confront the other party, like in my case. I cant confront the other party to discuss about what
transpired and how we can forgive each other because the other party wont even accept the fact
that the event occurred and will instead become angry (pretend) that I am outrageously
accusing him of being involved in that incident. In cases like this, I can learn to forgive him by
myself and let go of the hate and resentment that resides deeply inside of me.
The role forgiveness plays in the professional world seems minuscule to many, but it
actually plays a huge role like every other principles taught by Christ. We can all agree that
leadership qualities are very important in the business world. The way leaders motivate, enhance,
encourage, support, and handle others is a skill to be learned in the professional world.
Forgiveness is one of the traits that a leader needs to successfully motivate his subordinates.
Love, forgiveness, and trust are critical values of todays organization leaders who are
committed to maximizing value for organizations while helping organization members to

become their best (Caldwell & Dixon, 2010). Organizations and businesses reply upon people
to complete daily tasks. Since people manage the daily tasks, there will inevitably be mistakes
and failures at some point in the business. In instances like these, forgiveness can play a huge
part in motivating the employee to try harder and to not make a mistake next time. Not only that,
they can also regain self-esteem, restore the ability for people to work together comfortably, and
become grateful to the leader for having such a positive demeanor. Forgiveness can not only play
a huge part in business but also in bigger global scales. Ethic for Enemies reveals how
forgiveness plays a part in Americas policy toward Germany and Japan after the World Wars. It
also makes a clear division of forgiveness by defining the lines. To forgive is not to forget; to
pardon evil-doers is not to excuse evil acts; while forgiveness may lead to reconciliation, it is not
to be identified with it; and, finally, peaceful co-existence, not close cooperation, may be the best
that the forgiving and the forgiven can expect (Walton, p.2). I disagree that the expectations
between the forgiving and the forgiven should be higher than is exemplified, however, I agree
that forgiving does not mean to forget nor does it mean to excuse. As I am planning on entering
the business world as an Accountant and an Entrepreneur, reading these sources and learning
principles from them have allowed me to grasp the necessary skills I need to master in order to
be successful as a businessman in an ethical way. By practicing forgiveness, I can become an
effective leader and hopefully make an impact outside of the business world.
Forgiveness plays a crucial role in the world as exemplified by previous sources. By
applying these teachings into the different areas of my life, I hopefully aim to become self-reliant
and more like Jesus Christ, who had the ability to forgive anyone and everyone.

References
Caldwell, C., Dixon, R. D., (2010). Love, Forgiveness, and Trust: Critical Values of the Modern
Leader. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(1), 91-103. Doi: 10.1007/s10551-009-0184-z
Cornish, M.A., Wade, N.G., (2015). A Therapeutic Model of Self-Forgiveness With Intervention
Strategies for Counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(1), 96-106. Doi:
10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00185.x
Walton, C.C., (1997). Shrivers Ethics for Enemies: Implications for Business Research.
Business Ethics Quarterly, 7(4), 151-167. Retrieved from
https://search.lib.byu.edu/ldsbc/record/edsldsbc.buh.9712194045?
holding=ix3dwq4at6xematd
Uchtdorf, D., (2012). Forgiveness Fills Hearts with Love. Retrieved from
https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/forgiveness-fills-heartswith-love?lang=eng
Bernstein, M., Pittman, M., (2013). The Power of Forgiveness l The Science of Happiness.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9_TlZyB_Y