Monologue

​
Saige Hanson- Fogarty
9-25-19
Humanities 12th

In Dalai Lama’s article, “Compassion as Question of Justice” he challenges the premise of not
having revenge on the world but that we should have forgiveness. As he states, “If, on the other hand,
you are able to overcome your feelings of hostility toward wrongdoers and forgive them, there is an
immediate and perceptible benefit to you. By leaving the past actions in the past and restoring your
concern for the well- being of those who have done you wrong, you gain a tremendous feeling of inner
confidence and freedom, which allows you to move on as your negative thoughts and emotions tend to
dissipate.”
In the way that I interpreted this quote, I feel that Dalai Lama wants us as a world and population
to not have hate or negative thoughts but he wants us to give forgiveness to the people that hurt us.
Forgiveness means you shouldn't develop feelings of revenge because revenge harms the other
person. Your happy mood never comes, not while revenge remains in your mind and body. I think that's
the main reason why we should forgive because then you will have a calm mind, a more peaceful mind,
and a more healthy body.
I agree with this because right now in my life I currently have foster sisters living with me and
one of my sisters had done something to me and through that. I had a really difficult time trying to get rid
of the negative thoughts that were going in my mind and replace them with some forgiveness. Just then I
realized that instead of having those negative thoughts I should replace them with positive thoughts and
just forgive her. But with that, I still struggled with being able to open that trust back up with her. I need
to forgive my sister and learn to gain that new trust and forgiveness instead of holding that grudge in her
because that is not what Dalai Lama wants in the world.

So after hearing everyone's monologue I can agree with a lot of them. The one that stuck out to me was
Alli and Heleny's they both brought up the point on where they want to grow as an individual and how
that really connectes with Dalai Lama’s theory of forgiveness. I feel that I am in the same place as them
on where the fall.