One of the hardest tasks in healing — whether it be in ourselves, in our relationships, in our communities or our world — is forgiveness.
Author and medical intuitive Caroline Myss stated, “All disease can be cured by forgiveness.” That can be a hard concept to understand until we begin to understand the freeing capabilities of forgiveness. When we truly forgive, we begin to experience wholeness in our minds — and often the body follows.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President Jimmy Carter and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles are leaders in the Campaign for Forgiveness Research (www.forgiving.org), which was created to begin a worldwide community of information and inspiration for people struggling with and experiencing the power of forgiveness. As Archbishop Tutu writes, “Forgiveness and reconciliation are not just ethereal, spiritual, other-worldly activities. They have to do with the real word. Because in a very real sense, without forgiveness there is no future.”
As we begin a new year and look over the challenges of the past year, many of us are carrying the emotions of anger, resentment and intolerance with us. In this human experience of life, we must come to terms with betrayal — whether it be by our own bodies, our loved ones, our neighbors, foreign countries or terrorists. The only healing way is through forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn’t happen by accident; it’s up to us to participate in its co-creation.
Take a moment to feel what it would be like to be free of the feelings that keep us bound in our negative emotions. Better yet, write down the feelings you’d like to release. Join with a friend or group of friends and burn them.
It might be only symbolic, but it’s a start. In the process of healing our world and ourselves, each one of just needs to make a start. ©
This article appears in Jan 2-8, 2002.
