Forgive & Forget

There is a time for forgiveness.

As time passes and the crimes against oneself lessen, it becomes easier to contemplate such a thing. The fear and anger in the immediate passes on. Memory cannot forever sustain the pain and the hurt. Eventually, the mind can begin to distance the emotion and consider the crimes from a rational view.

Then we can think to ourselves: is it worth it to sustain this anger? What am I losing for both myself and others to keep up the disdain I have? These are valid questions to ask at that time. Keeping it up can cause more harm than it saves. It is not always the right choice to give it up, of course, nor is it always the right choice to keep it. It something we each must weight for ourselves.

One thing to consider: to forgive is not to forget. One can move on while never wanting to see or interact with a person again. There are some crimes that deserve – nay, require – such action. Yet sometimes forgetting is the best way, as well, if the harm was done in a radical situation that has since been corrected and reconciled. Again, this I something we must just for ourselves as to what is right.

There is a time for forgiveness. There is a time for forgetting.

That time is not today.