The Power to Forgive
Posted: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
by David Tanguay
Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me" Robert Frost
As we go through life, we make many mistakes we often offend our neighbor for his/her actions. The power to forgive others begins with the ability to except forgiveness from those we offended. Then we can find a way to forgive ourselves.
There is an old saying that goes like this "It takes one to know one" yes before we call our neighbor an ass we must first take a good look at ourselves.
The constitution we live under and the declaration of independence proclaim, "We are all created equal" no one has a special privilege under the eyes of God.
Some of us are arrogant in our lifestyle we seem to be running in a race against ourselves. We try to put ourselves on a higher pedestal than others. The fact is if we only be ourselves, we would find happiness in our lives.
"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies." Martin Luther King Jr.
In my lifetime, I found that African Americans have the power to forgive more than any other race. For which race has, more hate and prejudice bent on them by whites or other nationalities than the black race. Nevertheless the black people have always been first to forgive others for their negative ways.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)David, I agree. You are so correct. If you do not mind, I would like to add: Years have passed since men of our day have made the framework of government by which the people of this nation was to live and work. Men wrote the Constitution under the umbrella of God. Under the umbrella of God they made laws that themselves could not adhere to. But they had to; they used the Bible and the Ten Commandments as their guide. Surely there is none higher than God. God was the standard they used.This meant:The freedom of Speech under God allowed man to say whatever he wished as long as it did not hurt his brother. It was as the Bible states: "Love thy neighbor as thyself."The freedom of Assembly under God allowed all to assemble in love with agreement or disagreement, we we're going to assembly with God the head, then that would be a peaceful assembly, keeping in mind love thy neighbor as thyself in any decision.The freedom of the Press under God would allow all to print that which pleases them, as long as it did not hurt their brother. Keeping in mind, love thy neighbor as thyself.The freedom of Religion under God championed the same God of Moses that gave us these Ten Commandments.We will utilize the Roman concept: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The Romans under God would not do anything to cripple their being as a nation. Whatever language you speak, you have the freedom to speak Roman. Any other language would be a threat of another Babel. They knew when communication leaves the family, men start conspiring against them and the security would lapse. The Romans knew the Bible stated: "A house against itself cannot stand. We must all speak as one, under God. If you speak any other language it would be fine, however, in Rome, you WILL speak Roman.You can write all that you wish in another hand, but in Rome, you will write with Roman understanding. This nation started with men and women wanting a common bond and the God of Moses was that common bond. We still have religion, however, Satan has taken the word freedom to another level. They are taking freedom as doing what is right in their own eyes, not as Godhow did we as a nation miss that? The freedom to write, now we are printing what we wish and feel, and how we feel is not under God. We are printing to hurt another, how did we miss it?Writers of our Constitution had respect for man as a whole. Even when it was out right slavery, men and women believed in what they had and what they understood at the times. This is why the Constitution was written under God, they knew what was right because they had the ultimate lawgiver, God through Moses. Again, they wrote what was the truth. They we're like the Paul's, the Jeremiah', the Job's, the Nehemiah's, the Solomon's and the David's, they may have fell from grace, but grace picked them up again.As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view ... It is Moses and he is holding the "Ten Commandments!"Please log in to respond to this comment.Yes Clarence as you emphasized "love thy neighbor as thyself" This one rule if we were able to live by would be the answer to all of our problems.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Wonderful article thanks for writing it!Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commentingPlease log in to respond to this comment.
hi david,i think forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do, and mean it.but when done, a whole new beginning stands before us, and we can enjoy the happiness that was meant by our father to enjoy,my best,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Very well said Susan, thank you for commenting.Please log in to respond to this comment.
HI David, wonderfully stated and so true. Thank you for sharing these thoughts. Blessings to you! TeresaPlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting TeresaPlease log in to respond to this comment.
David, this is an excellent article and I so love that MLK quote. I'm a preacher's / pastor's daughter. My family was always held to a higher standard because of it so our parents were loving and strict disciplinarians.
I prefaced with that little scenario to say, I agree with you about the African-American race having the heart to forgive. I'm tougher on my brothers and sisters (African-Americans) and pray the day comes when it's not about forgiving but forgetting.
No, not our illustrious history, never! But forgetting those things that are behind us and moving on to a better place in our minds. I do not say this dispassionately and may get some negative discourse but it's how I feel.
I am proud of my heritage. It's time to discard the crutches. When I talk like this among family and friends, I get waxed.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for having the courage and conviction to speak out on The Power to Forgive and honor African-Americans as you have. You have a heart that forgives, eyes that see truth and a mind that is open to justice.
With sincerity,
Avis
PS I commend SW for placing this article in its prominent position, too! Right on for SW!Please log in to respond to this comment.I agree Avis, the black people should be proud of their heritage. When I was a teenager I used to try to put myself into a black person's shoes. I would say to myself "out of all races in the world which one stands out the most?"Of course the only answer to this question is the black race of course. I do hope we as a people, as you say will forget the negative ways of yesterday and awaken to a new world order. As MLK said "when a man or woman is judge by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. thank you for commentingPlease log in to respond to this comment.David, you said something that if we all did, the world would be a better place to live and even more beautiful. We would be more tolerant and culturally educated. You trying to put yourself in the shoes of a black person is one of the primary reasons you could write this article and mean it!
Everyone needs to do that to gain an understanding of who we are. This applies within each race, too. We dismiss each other too readily with our prejudices.
Also, reading your comment to Potchak was revealing, too. Usually, we can forgive others quicker than ourselves but we should readily forgive ourselves, too.
Just a few more thoughts about this article. The love you've shown lingers. *smile* Again, thank you!
Warmest regards,
AvisPlease log in to respond to this comment.Avis, don't you think things have gotten better the past 30+ years in this country? As far as race relations, although we still have a long way to go I believe we have come a long way as well.Please log in to respond to this comment.Oh yes, definitely, David! We have come a long way where race relations are concerned. I'm very proud of that, too. I think that's one reason I'd like for race not to even enter the equation anymore but know it will. Things have improved tremendously, and that's evident not in the big things such as having a black President but with subtle things that are seen in how kids interact with each other. It's beautiful.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Oh, how I wish it was possible for me to totally forgive and forget!!! If you had a few hours of available time, I could enlighten you. For me, that is a task that is easier said, than done. Well written, David! Now, if I only could be more like you?Please log in to respond to this comment.It sounds as though you've been through some hard times Dave. In my case I find trying to forgive myself for things I've said in the past is a hard thing to do. As far as forgiving others I find no difficulty in doing so.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Great article. Forgive, forget, then move on. If only everyone adhered to this simple advice. Thanks for writing this.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks for commenting MikePlease log in to respond to this comment.
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