Self-forgiveness

There is, within every religion and philosophy, lessons about forgiveness and harmony.  Working in harmony with not only the world around you but also the community as a whole is an important.  It is important because without that basic harmony strife, conflict and eventually breakdown occurs.  Being able to forgive is equally as important.  Without the forgiveness, past slights and conflict, while maybe not forgotten, would be dwelled on.  No progress or forward movement would be made in the society.  Stagnation would occur. 

Humans are, in many ways, microcosms of the world around them.  Mechanisms we see on a grandiose scale operate at the microbial level.  With non-concrete ideals such as forgiveness and harmony, the process is similar (not exact but similar).  The majority of the world has heard the saying “Love yourself and others will love you.” at some point and in some form.  While the same cannot necessarily be said for “Forgive yourself and others will forgive you.” being able to move forward, make progress and focus resources on other issues is vital to being emotionally healthy. 

Oddly enough though, forgiving ourselves is much harder than forgiving others.  We know our shortcomings, fears, strengths, etc. much better than any other person.  We are also much more critical of ourselves that many times others are of us.  This can lead to long-term issues with replaying scenes and memories over and over.  Many times, these scenes get covered in a fog of time where we become the Patient Zero of all of our problems, ignoring the actions and ownership of others.

This is where harmony and forgiveness cross over and combine in the Human Universe.  Becoming at odds with family or friends causes strife and stress in our lives.  Becoming at odds with ourselves can cause health problems, change our behavior, and cause concern in the people around us.  Also, when we live in a state of accusal and disharmony, the world around us is affected by our energy and outlook.  The perceptions of what is important, possible, or right become skewed until we reach a point where conflict and disharmony become the order of the day.

Forgiveness is the first step, self-forgiveness even more so.