The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
― Mahatma Gandhi,
Something interesting in life happens when you come face to face with death, you begin to realize that every single event that has happened, whether the event be good or bad, has contributed to the man I am today.
In retrospect, that means it’s all good, and the wounds I feel are gifts regardless of how deep they may go. I’ve struggled with the act of forgiveness my entire life.
I was in denial. I held anger and resentment against people in life rather than get curious.
I did not want to welcome the thought that just maybe my behaviors were the ones that forced me to hit rock bottom. How foolish of me to believe that it was all someone else’s fault?
The mission went wrong in the Marines, fuck that leader, he sucked ( in reality, it was a team effort). Career not going well, ah this sucks, I will change jobs. And I did, only to find out I was never happy inside.
What is interesting about this point of view is that it forces you to grow. It forces you to see that strength comes from a place of vulnerability. A place of forgiveness, but not for others, but for myself.
This feels powerful. And while I am still very much processing the new life that is unfolding in front of me, I see more revelations than ever before.
Forgiveness is hard, but I no longer want anger and resentment to run my life. The wounds give me strength. Forgiveness gives me power. Forgiveness gives me clarity. And most of all, forgiveness provides me a connection to something else higher than myself.
George