“Do you know how to forgive?” ‘
I paused. “Yeah…I think so.”
“Really? So, what is forgiveness?”
“When someone does something you did not like or hurts you, you let it go and accept what they did and who they are.”
“Hmmm.” The Lion pondered my reply. “This is not forgiveness. Can you forgive yourself for everything that you have done to your wife…all the lies, all the affairs, the negligence?”
“No, I cannot forgive myself.”
“Come on, what would it look like,” the Lion nudged, “if you forgave yourself?”
“
Honestly, I have no clue. My fear is that If I forgave myself, I would keep doing the things I do.”
“You haven’t forgiven yourself now, but you continue to do the things you do anyway. What’s the difference? Can you forgive the boy who was teased at school, who couldn’t stand up to the kids who bullied him, who was called a girl for crying?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Listen, it looks easy on the surface, but it is not what you think. Forgiveness is not a simple act; it is a profound act. It is a humane act. It is a courageous and bold act. It is the act of God, an act of kindness and compassion. It is a worthy act. It is worthy of you and you are worthy of it. It is an act of love, unconditional love. It is a humble act. True forgiveness doesn’t allow you to reason about why you should forgive. If you are looking to find reasons to forgive, that is not true forgiveness. This is still reasoning based on conditions. Let me ask you this: why were you quick to forgive yourself as a boy as opposed to your current self?”
“It is simple,” I replied. “As a young boy, I was innocent, but as an adult, I am not.”
“What is the point of forgiving someone who you think is already innocent? If someone bullied you now and you did not stand up for yourself, would you forgive yourself?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I am a grown man and should have learned by now how to defend myself.”
“See you are reasoning forgiveness. So, let me ask you, should I, the Lion—if I lived in your time—forgive you?”
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