PRACTICE FORGIVENESS

 

                             THE LAW OF FORGIVENESS

                     THE HEIGHT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE IN SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT IS THE PRACTICE OF FORGIVENESS. THE LAW OF FORGIVENESS SAYS THAT "YOU ARE MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU CAN FREELY FORGIVE ANYONE WHO HAS HURT YOU IN ANY WAY".

                    EVERY PERSON - INCLUDING YOU - HAS EXPERIENCED, DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, NEGATIVE TREATEMENT, UNKINDNESS, RUDENESS, UNFAIRNESS, BETRAYAL, AND DISHONESTY FROM OTHERS OVER THE YEARS. THESE EVENTS, ARE UNFORTUNATE, BUT THEY ARE AN INEVITABLE AND UNAVOIDABLE PART OF BEING A MEMEBER OF THE HUMAN RACE. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN AVOID THE PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES OF LIVING IN A BUSYT SOCIETY WITH MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE IS TO LIVE IN A CAVE.

                     THE ONLY QUESTION YOU NEED TO ASK AND ANSWER AFTER YOU HAVE HAD A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE IS , "HOW LONG WILL IT TAKED ME TO GET OVER THIS EVENT AND GET ON WITH MY LIFE?, THIS IS A DECISION ONLY YOU CAN MAKE IT. IT IS ONE OF THEM IMPORTANT TYPES OF DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE IN YOU OWN LIFE IF YOU TRULY WANT TO BE HAPPY. WHAT'S MORE, IT IS A TRUE TEST OF YOUR MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE.

                                                    THE FORGETTING CURVE

                       EACH PERSON HAS A "FORGETTING CURVE", OR WHAT IS OFTEN CALLED A "FORGIVENESS CURVE". THIS CURVE MEASURES HOW QUICKLY YOU FORGIVE AND FORGET A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE, AND IT DETERMINES HOW MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY YOU REALLY ARE.

                      IMAGINE A RECTANGLE WITH A SCALE FROM ZERO TO ONE HUNDRED ASCENDING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RECTANGLE. THIS IS THE SCALE OF THE INTENSITY OF THE NEGATIVE EMOTION YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU ARE HURT OR OFFENDEND IN SOME WAY. ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THIS GRAPH ARE THE MONTHS AND YEARS OF YOUR LIFE.

                    YOU CAN HAVE EITHER A FLAT FORGIVENESS CURVE OR A STEEP, DOWNWARD SLOPING FORGIVENESS CURVE. IF YOUR FORGIVENESS CURVE IS FLAT, THIS MEAS THAT YOU CONTINUES TO BE ANGRY FOR LONG TIME, SOMETIMES FOR YEARS OR EVEN DECADES AT THE SAME LEVEL AS WHEN THE EVENT OCCURED.

                   THERE ARE COUNTLESS PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING ONE OF THEIR PARENTS DID OR SAID TO THEM DECADES AGO. FURTHERMORE, THEY WILL TELL YOU ABOUT IT AT THE DROP OF A HAT. THEY WILL REACH INTO THEIR GUNNUYSACK OF UNFORGIVENESS EVENTS AND PULL OUT THEIR CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND SHARE THEM WITH YOU.

                  

                     EVERY PSYCHOLOGIST AND PSYCHIATRIST WHO DEAL WITH UNHAPPY PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED BECAUSE THEIR PATIENTS HAVE FLAT FORGIVENESS CURVES. THEIR PRIMARY CONVERSATION IN THERAPY IS TALKING ABOUT WHAT SOMEONW DID OR DIDN'T DO TO THEM OR FOR THEM AT SOME POINT IN THE PAST - AND HOW UNHAPPY THAT PERSON STILL FEELS ABOUT IT TODAY.

                                        GET OVER IT AND GET ON WITH IT

                            TRULY HEALTHY PEOPLE, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE DOWNWARD SLOPING FORGIVENESS CURVES. THEY HAVE HAD JUST BUT MANY DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS INLIFE AS ANYMORE ELSE, BUT THEY HAVE DISCIPLINED THEMSELVES BY RESOLVING TO FORGIVE AND FORGET QUICKLY SO THEY CAN GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES.THEY REFUSE TO GUNNYSACK LET THEM GO AND TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO THE THINGS THAT MAKE THEM HAPPY.

 

                           THE DISCIPLINE OF FORGIVENESS IS THE KEY TO THE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM. IT IS ONLY POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO ENJOY HIGH LEVELS OF PEACE MIND WHEN YOU DEVELOP THE HABIT AND DISCIPLINE OF FREELY FORGIVING OTHER PEOPLE FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING THAT THEY HAVE DONE TO HURT YOU.

                                                  FORGIVENESS IS SELFISH

                 SOME PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF FORGIVENESS. THEY THINK THAT FORGIVING SOMEONE ELSE FOR HAVING HURT THEM IS THE SAME AS CONDOMING THAT BEHAVIOR, OR EVEN APPROVING OF IT.  QUITE THE CONTRARY. FORGIVNESS IS A PURELY SELFISH ACT. FORGIVENESS HAS NOTHING WHATEVER TO DO WITH THE OTHER PERSON. YOU FORGIVE OTHERS SO THAT YOU YOURSELF CAN BE EMOTIONALLY FREE, SO THAT YOU NO LONGER CARRY THAT BAGGAGE AROUND WITH YOU. 

               YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL MIND. YOU ARE INCREDIBLY INTELIGENT AND INSIGHTFUL. YOU CAN USE YOUR MIND ON YOUR BEHALF IN ORDER TO HELP YOU TO BE JOYOUS AND HAPPY OR YOU CAN USE IT AGAINST YOURSELF. THE WAY YOU USE YOUR MIND AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IS TO FIND REASONS TO FORGIVE OTHERS. INSTEAD OF REHASHING AND DISSECTING A PAST EVENT, LOOKING FOR REATIONZALIZATION, JUSTIFICATIONS, AND REASONS TO TAKE SOMETHING PERSONALLY, USE YOUR INTELLIGENTS TO FIND REASONS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND LET GO OF THE NEGATIVE SITUATION.

                                  ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND FORGIVE 

                                      THE INSTANT YOU ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND FORGIVE EVERYONE FOR AYTHING THAT THEY EVER DID TO HURT YOU IN ANYWAY, YOU LIBERATE YOURSELF COMPLETELY. ALL YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS DISSAPEAR. INPLACE OF INNER PEACE, LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND JOY.

                                    THE PAYOFF FOR USING YOUR SELF-DISCIPLINE TO PRACTICE FORGIVENESS ON AN ONGOING BASIS IS EXTRAORDINARY. WHEN YOU USE YOUR INCREDIBLE ABILITIES OF SELF-CONTROL, SELF-MASTERY, AND DETACHMENT TO SEPERATE YOURSELF EMOTIONALLY FROM SITUATIONS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE MAKE YOU UNHAPPY, THE ENTIRE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE IMPROVES IN A WONDERFUL WAY.

                            POINTS :

                1. TAKE THE FORGIVENESS TEST. DO YOU WANT TO BE RIGHT DO YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY?

                2. IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE FROM YOUR PAST WHO YOU FEEL HAVE HURT YOU IN ANY WAY, AND THEN MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO FORGIVE THEM AND LET GO OF THOSE NEGATIVE FEELINGS.

                3. FIND REASONS NOT TO JUSTIFY YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS OF BLAME OR ANGER, AND INSTEAD, USE YOUR INTELLIGENCE TO ACCEPT EMOTIONS.

                 4. SET PEACE OF MIND AS YOUR HIGHEST GOAL, AND THEN RESOLVE TO LET GO OF ANY THOUGHTS OR EMOTIONS THAT DISTURB YOU IN ANY WAY.

                 5. BEGIN TODAY TO READ SOMETHING SPIRITUAL AND UPLIFTING EACH MORNING BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR DAY.  THIS HABIT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

                  6. FROM NOW ON, REFUSE TO TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY. ASK YOURSELF HOW MUCH IT WILL MATTER FIVE YEARS FROM OTHERS.

                  7. PRACTIVE THE BUDDIST METHOD OF DETACHMENT FROM MONEY AND MATERIAL THINGS, AND REFUSE TO BECOME UPSET OR WORRIED ABOUT ANYTHING.