Rob Colquhoun

True forgiveness

 

Forgiveness is not a weakness, but a sign of strength. It is not about forgetting but learning how to move on into the future. Unforgiveness poisons those who can’t forgive with bitterness, anger and jealousy. But those that forgive are free from their feelings which can undermine them. As in the Lord’s prayer- as God forgives us, we must be in the position to forgive others for their transgressions against us. This must happen deep down and not on the surface. Forgiveness enables us to move on from the situation we have been in and not wallow in the misery of the past. Those who find it hard to forgive due to a sense of injustice should rest assured that God is the ultimate arbiter of justice because he embodies justice in the fullness of time. He is judge at the end of time- it is his job to repay and not ours.

 

 

Indignation as energy for action

 

Indignation means resentment, anger or annoyance. Yet these feeling can be channelled into constructive forces provided a catalyst for our actions, towards the improvement of society. Those that commit evil are responsible for their actions, but they are not responsible for our actions- and therefore are responses perhaps towards any evil done towards us. When our car is stolen, rather that wallowing in self pity we can set up a neighbourhood watch scheme. If our cousin dies of malaria, we can help those in the 3^rd world fight the disease with our support. There are countless organisations that have been established by people thinking that the current service was unsatisfactory and they could do a better job. By having a stubborn refusal to be a victim, we can learn to overcome our emotions that could overwhelm us and learn to cope with distress and problems. When Nelson Mandela had spent decades in jail as a political prisoner – he refused to be a victim and helped to build a better and more just society when he was released by being involved in leading the country. Moving on from grief, sorrow and anger through energising our emotions into good helps our recovery and changes our attitude.

 

Particular Habits- Escapism to False Paradises

 

In order to cope with work, many people become mentally detached from what they are actually doing. This can happen by a process of repetition, daydreaming, routine and the robotisation of our work. By not being engaged- helps to separate mind and body from the task in hand. But this can also happen in other areas- escapism from reality is a mechanism for coping for many people. Whether by pornography, drugs or computer games- these are all false heavens that attempt to bring happiness by a particular fantasy- but usually these fantasies end up making the user deluded and detached from self. From detaching mind and body we cannot function as well as one and we are not so much integrated people. But by knowing oneself, being fully in touch with reality we have a firm understanding of the world and where we are. Don Quixote was so deluded he saw giants instead of windmills, yet he recovered from his deluded madness and saw life again as it really is.