Forgive and forget

Day 87 / 365

I’ve just started reading the book “The Four Agreements”, and this one line caught my interest

The human is the only animal that pays a thousand time for each mistake

When we do something bad, we have a feeling of guilt. We punish ourselves, mentally or physically. That is us paying for that mistake. But it doesn’t end there. Whenever we remember the mistake again, we judge ourselves again, feel guilty again. The same process repeats itself. This is how we pay multiple times for the same mistake.

But it’s not just limited to our own mistakes. If someone does anything bad to us, we make sure they feel guilty and thus pay their due for their mistake. Then we forgive them, and that’s where it should end. Yet, we bring up the mistake again, blame them for it and make them suffer.

It’s important to acknowledge our mistakes, to learn from them. And it’s only natural to feel guilty about them. But it’s just as important to forgive yourself and move on.

If a loved one hurts you, it’s OK to let them know, and hold them accountable. But it’s just as important to forgive them.

Forgive and forget. It may not change the past, but it gives the future a chance.

This story is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Lucid Dreams