What is forgiveness to you and how important is it that you forgive others?

Question

Do you expect to be forgiven, and if you aren't do you have a hard time forgiving back?

Answer 1

Forgiveness stories quotes definition and love

Forgiveness is that quality in a human being which separates him from the animals and the lower forms of living beings. To preach forgiveness is a simple task but to be able to practice forgiveness in real life is the essence of life.

Only a person with extreme humbleness imbibed within and a feeling of compassion for his compatriot is able to practice forgiveness! To be able to forgive requires that the forgiver forgoes all the sufferings of the past that may have been inflicted upon him by the gruesome acts of the indulgent. A tough task indeed but not something that cannot be practised!


In most circumstances one may not have committed any sin, still practising forgiveness brings within us a feeling of extreme calm and compassion for the mankind in general. Practice of forgiveness normally cannot be practiced by the common man for it requires practising patience to its extreme.

If we are to achieve our goal of life... we just cannot manage to cling on to events of the past... happenings which cannot be reversed by us using any means. We cannot travel back in time to undo the events of the past. Why not practice forgiveness and forgive those ignorant denizens of the society who practiced ill will and caused harm to the society.

Forgiving the ignorant is the best policy... it clears us of the debris of the past! Indulgence in the ugly residual remembrances of the past results in anger. Why destroy our body and health by harbouring the evil thoughts of the past.


Knowing well that we cannot undo the events of the past... we must brace ourselves for the times ahead! To be able to peacefully practice in the present we need to follow the dictates of forgiveness to its extreme! There are no allowances in the field of forgiveness. It has to be total surrender!

Practising forgiveness is the biggest boon to mankind from God the Almighty. One can exercise this power and reach for the higher goals of life by discriminating between the good and the bad. Harbouring ill will against one never yields positive results.


In the present times when the values in the society are in their lowest ebb we need to exercise this special power of discrimination (practising forgiveness) quite often. We have no other remedy if we are to rise to a higher bracket in life.

Every successful person in life practices forgiveness to its extreme. Whether it was Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy or Margaret Thatcher and Bill Gates for that matter... all were and are the best practitioners of forgiveness in their life.

Forgiveness just cannot be preached... it has to be practiced in totality! Only then shall we be able to enjoy the fruits of practising forgiveness in the present life. All the Man Gods of the yester era... Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed practiced forgiveness all the time right from a very young age.


Practising forgiveness gives you an edge over your contemporary... it helps maintain the sanity of a person. Forgiveness reduces the element of hate which follows whenever wanton desires get practiced. More on forgiveness here- http://www.godrealized.org/Forgiveness.html

Answer 2

Forgiving someone is to release them from a debt. If they hurt you, and you say 'that's alright', and you get rid of the bad feeling you have for them, you have forgiven them. That doesn't mean that you have to have anything to do with that person again , though. Burn me once, etc. you can have Christian comapssion for someone without having any further social interaction with them.

It is very important to forgive others. For me, it is commanded by my religion. I am a Christian. But excepting religious reasons, it is important to forgive becauseit helps you to stop thinking about a person who may be no good. That anger will war on your soul, and consume your life. Also, I guarantee you, in most cases, the person who has done you wrong that you are so mad at, is usually never thinking about you. They are certainly not feeling bad about what they did, so why bother to let your thoughts be consumed with them? Best to forgive, so you can move on.

I ask for forgiveness most of the time, when I do someone wrong. I hope to be forgiven, and most of the time I expect it, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. C'est la vie.

If I am not forgiven, it is a little harder for me to forgive back. But I usually get there just the same. Prayer helps alot.


Be well.

Answer 3

To me, forgiveness is being able to accept that what happened happened, and realize that you can't change the outcome. What you can change, however, is your reaction. You can be hostil, or realize that there's nothing to be done about it and move on. If no one forgave eachother then everyone would hold grudges for ever and ever.

Yes, if I made a honest mistake and apologized sincerly and did all I could to make up for it, I would expect to be forgiven. After somebody does everything they can to make it up, the other person would be stupid to still hold anythign against them. Yes, sometimes, you may still hate them for what they did, but if you don't forgive them then you're throwing away a valuable friendship.

I mean look at the conflict between the Jews and the Christians. Way back when, somebody killed someone and 2000 years later they still haven't forgiven eachother. Just look at the holocaust. The whole thing possibly could have been avoided if people just forgave eachother.

I guess some people think it makes them look strong not to apologize or forgive, but to me those people are just scared weak.

Answer 4

Forgiveness is easier when you believe the offender either did the offense unintentionally or is now sincerely remorseful for the act. In these cases forgiveness is helpful for both parties. It is very important for me to forgive others because without it, I tend to get held back from moving onto other things in life. I also believe you help the offender to move on by granting forgiveness. I expect to be forgiven when I ask for it. I can forgive someone for being an idiot, but I also can keep away from them so that I don't get further abuse from them.

Answer 5

Forgiveness to me is letting the past become the past, to not feel any negative emotions towards another for a wrong he or she has done. It is most important that you forgive others. If no one forgave each other, then positive emotions towards others would cease to exist and the connections that unite us all would gradually disintegrate. Violence would erupt like wildfire across a dead forest, inducing death and destruction as a result of fights, battles, and even wars. No one would get along with anyone else if we could not forgive others for anything, whatever it may be. Do you expect to be forgiven? It would depend on the individual and on the situation. For example, someone may take something far more seriously than another, who would shrug it off and think nothing of it. It also depends on the immensity of the situation, for example spilling your water at the dinner table versus accidentally killing someone; opposite ends of the spectrum of intensity and seriousness. Everyone should try to forgive each other for whatever wrongs they do, no matter how great (at least for most things; there are several exceptions). If we cannot learn to forgive each other and, as the saying goes, let bygones be bygones, and let the past enter the past, then we all have some thinking and growing-up to do. Holding grudges will get us nowhere; anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to pain, and pain leads to suffering (sounds like Yoda's words, right?). Thus, if we all hold grudges and don't forgive each other for almost anything if not anything at all, then people would suffer far greater than they already do.

Answer 6

Yes, I want to be forgiven and I have a hard time forgiving others - ain't that the way it really is. Help!

Answer 7

It's a tough question. I'd say foregiveness is is the verbal or express desire to apologize for an act or ommission that intentionally caused harm to another. I like to refer to the quote.. Forgive, but never forget. Here is the techical version...

Forgiveness is the mental and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment or anger against another person for a perceived offence, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the feelings of the person who forgives, or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, it may be granted without any expectation of compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of apology or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive.

Answer 8

I expect to be forgiven after I apologise properly and sincerely, I forgive others....easily but I don't usually forgive myself that fast

Answer 9

Forgiveness: not holding grudges.
Holding a grudge is extremely burdensome and harmful the the person carrying it. Forgiving releases that burden and lightens the load. It is most important to me to forgive.

Answer 10

To forgive is to shed the burden of anger. It is a weight that grows heavier with time. Your spirit cannot fly if it is weighed down by stong emotions. So to forgive is to let your spirit soar.