Episode #77

[Bring4th_Austin]

Episode #77


In this episode, we discuss:
- All about forgiveness.

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A transcript for this episode will be posted once it is available.

Feel free to discuss this episode in this thread!

[Nicholas]

I appreciated this one! 

Gary spoke to the understanding aspect of forgiveness and quoted Jesus saying "Forgive them Father they know not what they do". Eckhart Tolle made a similar (slightly comical in his unique way) statement when he said, paraphrasing "If Jesus was around today he would say something like "Forgive them for they are unconscious""

And the forgetting portion. I think the word "forget" is more of a metaphor than a literal forgetting of what has happened previously. If there was a literal forgetting then this seems to me more like a psychological disassociation than a conscious decision to move on from a past event that involved a heavy amount of catalyst. To forget is to not harbour any ill will towards ourselves and others, to not have our minds consumed by thoughts of justice and resentment. We can still contest and request accountability for the actions of others, but if we hold no emotional charge we are much more likely to receive honesty. People are dishonest because they fear the consequences of being honest, and if somebody truly believes that you are confused and are in need of understanding, and are not bent on trapping or punishing them in any way, then they are way more likely to be honest about why they said what they said or did what they did. 

Forgiveness not only frees up our own mind from the judgemental evaluating that we were conditioned with, but it also allows the space for others to speak or act more freely. This can easily be interpreted as giving people a free pass to do whatever they want and to whom, but such an interpretation is coming from the very judgemental position that forgiveness alleviates us from. 

"Do what thou wilt..." is a revolutionary act when we are liberated by our own forgiveness!