Importance of Forgiveness?

Question

Why do you think its important to forgive? And not because when we forgive we are acheiving inner peace or we're going to heaven. No religious answers please.

Answer 1

its important to forgive so you can move on in life. instead of dwelling on the unhappiness in the past.

Answer 2

They call it "holding" a grudge because when you choose not to forgive, that is what you must do - you must hold onto that grudge.  Time goes by, other good things happen to you, some bad things too because hey, after all, this IS life and good/bad things happen, but a grudge is a real living thing that must be fed and attended-to, you must hold onto it, to keep it alive.  It must have a prominent place in your mind, so that you can readily call forth the memory of the transgression against you.  It must be fed by thoughts of revenge and anger.  It must be tended and guarded carefully so that you do not ever forget about the person or situation that 'wronged' you.  And you must be very careful to not ever, ever think about the fact that, hey, sometimes YOU do wrong things too, that you would rather people just forgive and forget, so you must magnify the wrong done to you and minimize things you may have done to somebody else.  You must always keep alive the "bad thing" that other person did, by holding imaginary conversations with that person who wronged you in which you enjoy humiliating them or scaring them or making them "pay" for what they did to you.  This take a lot of mental energy so be prepared to not have very much else going on in your life, so that your grudge stays big and fresh.  A grudge can be a very heavy burden so if you start experiencing physical symptoms of feeling weighed-down you'll know why yhou feel that way.  

My point is, when you are "holding" a grudge, your hands are too full of "grudge" to accept other gifts you are given.  You miss out on peaceful thoughts and beautiful things in your life, because you must always attend to that "grudge"!!

Answer 3

When you refuse to forgive others the only one it truly hurts is you. The person you refuse to forgive may be virtually uneffected & can probably care less or be unaware of it.



Unforgiveness is like a poison & not only effects your ability to get past whatever it is that requires forgiveness, it alters your view & judgement on future issues.

Answer 4

Because to move on with life you must forgive yourself and others or be weighed down by the past which you cannot change.

Answer 5

Forgiving is a way to move forward in our lives.  In order to forgive we must be able to let go.  Otherwise we get stuck on things that no longer serve any purpose for us.  Forgiving allows for some closure.  And lets us move on.

Answer 6

seriously, think about a person who hurt you. now notice how your body changes. not forgiving causes health problems.

Answer 7

Because if you don't forgive them then you might want to seek revenge.  Then, they will get angry and might want to seek revenge on you.  You might get even more angry and want to kill them... Sometimes it's just easier to LET GO.

Answer 8

None if you don't allow freedom of speech.

Answer 9

You live longer...lack of stress. Lifes too d**n short anyway.

Answer 10

When you don't forgive you harbor resentment and ill feelings.  The ill feelings do not in any way effect that person with whom you are angry.  They do make your blood pressure go up and give you a reason do be down.  If you want to be angry and depressed, have lots of self pity and go around thinking that life is unfair, go ahead and don't forgive.  If you want to make the most of your opportunities, have a positive attitude, and concentrate on the things that make you smile and feel good, forgive.