Bless People Who Hurt You: Forgiving Others And Quotes On Forgiveness
Words have the power to hurt too
I often think about the times when I have felt hurt and insulted by rude remarks from strangers and sometimes even from acquaintances. How does it feel to be at the receiving end of such insolent attitude? And for no fault of mine.
Strangely, I don't react in such situations. I feel deeply hurt, tears blind my eyes sometimes, unable to withstand the harshness of the words but I don't react verbally. Later when I narrate the incident to friends and family, I am usually reprimanded for "not having paid back in the same coin", which I have never been able to do so far in life.
Quotes on Forgiveness
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
― Oscar Wilde
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
― Mother Teresa
Learning to forgive
What is the use of doing so anyway? If a person hurts you intentionally and you also react in a similar way, there will be nothing but hatred and enmity increasing between both of you. Moreover, what is the difference between you and the person who hurt you? Shouldn’t you be different from them and show that you are a class apart from them?
On the contrary, if you don’t react, the person hurting you will not find a chance to show more of his/her angry feelings against you. They’ll find it difficult to continue with their verbal attack on you and even become confused as to what to do next. This is because they expect you to retaliate, scream or at least curse under your breath for them to feel instigated and provoked to say something more rude or vicious.
Quotes on Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
― Mahatma Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth
“To err is human, to forgive, divine.”
― Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism
When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future.
Bernard Meltzer
It takes two hands to clap
But when you become subdued while putting up a straight face clearly indicating that you have done nothing wrong, he/she would even feel ashamed (if not at that moment, later surely) by your silence and calm disposition. Passers-by who notice this will only see one person shouting or arguing and the other person quiet and composed. This will lead to the inference that the crazy man who is screaming his head off is insane.
Sometimes, the man screaming may be right if the other person standing in front of him puts his head down in shame indicating that he has done something wrong. But when you stand upright looking straight into the eyes of the screaming man, people know who is right. After a while, the person will start wondering what the topic was all about because there was absolutely no response from you. It will either put the person to shame or make him move away from the place angry and frustrated.
Quotes on Forgiveness
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
― Mark Twain
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If somebody is rude and inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. They have some major problems, anger, resentment, or some heartache they are trying to cope with or overcome. The last thing they need is for you to make matters worse by responding angrily.”
― Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential
The art of forgiveness
All religions advocate the principle of forgiveness. People of all races, color and creed live a life based on love and trust. Love and bless your enemies and you'll find them turning into friends. This is something I have personally experienced in my life.
Do good to people who try to harm you emotionally and you can be sure that they'll be put to shame by your act. Your act will confuse them no end, as not many people believe in such acts. Try it out once, you'll understand my point. This will make you happier and more peaceful in life. After all we need to be happy for carrying on our day-to-day activities in a smooth manner.
The world would be a much better place to live in if each one of us gave this concept a serious thought. Crimes will diminish and productivity will increase by adopting such an attitude. Smile and the world smiles back at you. May Love and Patience rule this world!! Wishing you inner peace all through your life!
