"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahatma Gandhi

What is an Act of Forgiveness?

Acts of Forgiveness remain some of the most difficult, yet most personally rewarding of the opposite acts and memories of successful reconciliations are among the sweetest blessings reported by seniors. The ability to forgive is also a freedom social skill and it is no small achievement for members of a diverse and free society to live at peace with each other. When we understand the difficulty on an individual or one to one level, we can better understand why it remains such a challenge for nations.

Opportunities for Opposite Acts of forgiveness, spring continually from our life roles and our past. While we can channel our anger in productive ways to create change, eventually it is to our own benefit if we can establish some sort of truce with those we believe have caused us harm. Forgiveness frees us, and enables us to grow and develop, to continue on with our lives. The desire for revenge mires us in the past and prevents us from becoming the unique people we were born to be.

The ability to forgive remains an important freedom social skill as long as peace is desired. We do not have to start with the most difficult challenges to develop this skill, we can begin with the minor annoyances and inconsiderate behaviors that we commit and that others inadvertently direct at us, each day. Peace will only occur among nations when large numbers of people understand and can effectively forgive in the day to day life of family and community.

As long as we live, we have the power to repair relationships, build character and make the personal investments that will survive time. We can’t all be immortalized in record books, but like the WWII generation, collectively we can make substantial contributions to the fabric of human history.