Compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive

Post #17,749 by brettj 11/11/01 7:40:46 AM Reply	Compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive The 3rd definition provided by Dictionary.com seems to fit the closest to my interpretation of what forgiveness is all about. True forgiveness is much more than a simple pardon. Forgiveness is more important for the giver than the givee, if you asked me. forgiveness n 1: compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive. The 2nd definition at Dictionary.com has ties closer to the religious definition of forgiveness, along the lines of "forgive them, they know not what they do".
Post #17,771 by Ashton 11/11/01 3:28:45 PM Reply	Another incentive for developing that 'compassion' er common passion? Someone named Picard (no, not That Picard) wrote a book, Hitler in Ourselves. Got it somewhere.. Theme is evident, of course: nothing that is common to man is alien to me.. Less'n one is a hybrid that is.. I guess. A.
Post #17,985 by static 11/12/01 10:18:09 PM Reply	Yes, that occurred to me, too. After seeing Ben's post, I went looking in my dictionary, then went back and re-read the whole topic. I think forgiveness is in the first instance more important to the forgiver, because it should represent something they are giving up: namely some sort of claim of redress on actions by another. The importance of forgiveness to the recpient is that the forgiver has intentionally foregone this claim and thus can proceed to interact with the forgiver largely as if the prior transgression had not occurred. If the recipient of forgiveness makes the same transgression, than they are abusing the forgiveness. This is likely to make the other party either reluctant to forgive, or completely prevent forgiveness until restitution is met. Note that I don't believe forgiveness can be offered "instantly". Sometimes it may take a long time to forgive someone something. Wade. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"
Post #18,164 by brettj 11/13/01 9:18:05 PM Reply	Maybe that's the real question? Who needs forgiveness more? I say the forgiver. You appear to think the forgiver also? (at least before the forgivee needs it) Someone else will say that it is situation dependent. Maybe it all depends on the disposition of the individuals involved? So what do you really think? Who needs forgiveness?!
Post #18,169 by static 11/13/01 9:42:31 PM Reply	I think that is situational. To put it another way: If I steal something from you as a result of a trust you had placed in me, then I need your forgiveness if I am to have that trust again. But you need to forgive if you want any benefits of giving me that trust. Now, if I do something against some random person whom I've never met before and am unlikely to encounter again - then I have little use for their forgiveness. But their forgiveness will enable them to enter the same situation with another stranger that I abused. Wade. "All around me are nothing but fakes Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"

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