FORGIVENESS

 By Author Roy Murry

It took me many years to learn the concept of Forgiveness and how to use it.  Now at the age of sixty five, I enjoy the pleasure of making it part of my daily life.  I feel that I will not die, as we all will someday, with any baggage that non-use of the power of Forgiveness seems to fester in one’s subconscious.

Many religions believe in the power of Forgiveness.  Being a Gnostic believing in Self-realization, I have found, as Ralph Waldo Emerson noted in Self-Reliance, that a person of faith must believe in their own thoughts first over all others.

So when I use the Lord’s Prayer of Forgiveness a number of times a day, I’m relieving myself of holding in my mind whatever stupid act came my way at the moment.  It could have been an act against me or some stupid thing I did.

This could have been a minor act like a person telling me something erroneous or calling me a name.  I forgive them immediately – the thought of the act is gone.  Or like a major act against me that changed my life, like my divorce which was one sided.  It took a while, but when forgiveness kicked in my life changed for the better.

When little things happen in the day: a person almost hits your car because their driving while on their cell phone; a bartender puts too much water in your whisky; someone lies to you; a customer is a pain; or when a person on the telephone puts you on hold for it seems like twenty minutes, forgive them for they do not know what they’re doing or something outside your control has happened.

That forgiveness will lower your blood pressure and make you feel better.  The event will disappear and so will any short lived bad feelings you had in your subconscious.

The use of constantly forgiving another and oneself will alleviate you of all the sleepless nights and all the pills one takes to get a good night’s rest.  So when the boss says he needs you an extra hour after your normal day when you must do something else important to you.  Do it with a smile and Forgive him for being an ass.

You’ll sleep better.

Author R. Murry:

Father and grandfather, Green Beret Operation & Intelligence Specialist in the Vietnam War, Bronze Star recipient for Meritorious Achievement, BSA Degree from Bentley College, 1974, minor in English, president ofPDE, the Honorary Journalism Society, editor-in-chief of the Yearbook, twenty five years in the Caribbean Hospitality Industry, and presently: semi-retired.