Monday 1 September 2003

Forgiveness; good idea isn't it? Well, either I'm happily deluded, or I don't really have very much to forgive. I've had a ridiculously easy life thus far really, so I wonder what right I have to speak about forgiveness. Sadly for you guys, it's not going to stop me.

Here's the thing. I can grudgingly accept, you know, on a theoretical level, that if you have something to forgive, especially in a mutual squabble, you can't sit back and wait for the other person to say "I'm sorry." You've got to take the initiative somehow. Jesus said "Forgive them; they don't know what they're doing" to his accusers, and it wasn't because they said sorry. So far, no-one has wished me dead for long enough for it to be a pressing concern, yet predictably enough Jesus is apparently better at forgiving people than I am.

Now, what happens if somone has riled you, but they don't know about it, or even if they do, they're not saying sorry? It's easy if they say sorry - you're both on the same page. Not having that option you can a) forgive them in your hearts and/or b) forgive them to their faces. This last one is a terribly worrying thing:

ME I forgive you for, like, being a jerk and stuff.
THE OTHER PARTY That was you. In fact, apparently it is you, right now.
ME [wishes the world would end about nowish]

Naturally, I exaggerate. It seems to me that it'd be quite some trick to forgive without accusing. Suitable perhaps for more experienced forgivers. Is this nonsense?