Forgiveness

I saw somebody else post about forgiveness and wanted to share my comment with the rest of you.

“I would like to share with you two simple truths: there is nothing that cannot be forgiven, and there is no one un-deserving of forgiveness.”
― Desmond Tutu, The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

Desmond Tutu was a great man and dedicated his life to social reform. This book is an amazing book and I recommend it to everybody.
I do not expect any of you to read anything based solely on my recommendation. Do research and then decide. This is worth your time.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

AngelUnforgiven · 51-55, F

I'm all for turning the other cheek, SOMETIMES . But I honestly cannot say that there is no one who is un-deserving of forgiveness. Some people are evil incarnate and I'm sorry they get no sympathy or forgiveness from me. For instance John Walsh of America's Most Wanted. The demon who murdered and decapitated his 6 year old son Adam does not deserve forgiveness all of us as a society should have given him street justice. I would be the 1st one in line . Anyone who harms a child gets no forgiveness from me.

friendlykinkster · 56-60, M

@AngelUnforgiven “What about evil, you may ask? Aren’t some people just evil, just monsters, and aren’t such people just unforgivable? I do believe there are monstrous and evil acts, but I do not believe those who commit such acts are monsters or evil. To relegate someone to the level of monster is to deny that person’s ability to change and to take away that person’s accountability for his or her actions and behavior.”
― Desmond Tutu, The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

daydeeo · 61-69, M

@friendlykinkster Interesting thought, that relegating a person to the staus of inhuman monster is to render them irresponsible and thus unaccountable for their actions.

friendlykinkster · 56-60, M

@daydeeo not my thought. seriously, reading this book can be life altering and provide many new ways of thinking

daydeeo · 61-69, M

@friendlykinkster I can see that

friendlykinkster · 56-60, M

@AngelUnforgiven One very memorable account in this book was the horrors he witnessed during Apartheid. He walked into villages of men, women and children slaughtered and chopped into bits by machetes. In time, through his work, there were murderers and victims' families working side by side, for social reform through forgiveness.

Miram · 31-35, F

@AngelUnforgiven

I do , partially, believe that the biggest potential danger with attitudes like the writer's is the adopting of someone else's greatest trauma, not necessarily to uplift them, but to police them. Because it is, unfortunately, easier to police the attitudes of victims than go after those who originally create these imbalances and solve the problem from its origin.

But there is another side that require a great deal to dismantle.

friendlykinkster · 56-60, M

@Miram I can tell by your responses that you have not read this book and yet you think your opinions are more valid than the writer's.

Miram · 31-35, F

@friendlykinkster

I already said what I needed to. And I hope others can understand why it is necessary to not let anyone else define your healing, even me. I am also grateful that the commentor here expressed their own truth unfiltered and never romanticized. That is an acknowledgement that I find much more healing personally.

The back-and-forth defensiveness and attempting to make me think that I must prove myself to you in order to agree or disagree with this achieves nothing.

Good luck!

friendlykinkster · 56-60, M

@Miram You really need to stop projecting, in my opinion. You might just find your amazing, happy life even more amazing and happy.