There are times when
anguish seems to take
over our soul and it
wants to destroy
everything, including
the will to live, to
fight and, even more, to
forgive. This happens at
the individual level,
but it also happens at
the collective level, in
groups, institutions,
and nations.
With all the alarming
news that enters us, at
all times, from inside
houses, through the
media and social
networks, it is easy,
nowadays, to let
ourselves be overcome by
negativism.
When we tried to keep
hope in a better world,
conquered through
sacrifices and works
that, we believed,
brought us a little
closer to the world we
dreamed of... When we
tried to keep hope that
the wars that still
tormented certain
planetary zones were
remnants of human
imperfections, but that
would tend to disappear.
Thus, we could finally
feel that we were
approaching that
planetary transition
that we are waiting
for... When we started
to have some faith in
humanity and in its
technological and
scientific achievements,
which could lead us to a
closer approach and
easier exercise of
solidarity,
collaboration and
sharing…
When all this eluded us,
or we allowed ourselves
to be deceived by the
appearance of well-being
and false security, a
war broke out in the
middle of Europe - a
continent that we
thought was far above
this type of event. The
world was still barely
out of an epidemic that
devastated it and
changed the habits of
life of the majority,
leaving us more
fragile). In full 21st century,
a great country decides
to invade another, to
claim territories that
do not belong to it, as
if we were in the middle
of the barbarian
conquests, of the Middle
or Ancient Ages.
They do not seem to us
to be events worthy of
the 20th century that we
crossed. It does not
seem to us to be an
attitude of a civilized
country, of a people
dedicated to science,
research, and art,
inhabited by a worthy
and dignified people. We
fail to understand the
need, if there could be
any, to spread so much
pain and suffering, to
destroy entire cities,
to kill left and right,
to torture, rape,
separate families, drive
so many millions to take
refuge in unknown lands,
destroy hospitals,
maternity hospitals, and
use civilians as easy
targets. It all seems
too undignified, too
barbaric. Furthermore,
all this in the face of
a “civilized” world that
watches, if not serene,
at least apparently
undaunted. Fear invades
everyone and no one
dares to do anything
that could make the
situation even worse,
which is already
catastrophic and almost
impossible to solve.
It is not at all easy,
to let despair take over
us. However, the people
targeted in this
catastrophe, the
Ukrainian people, have
given us examples of
courage, resilience and
even positivism in the
midst of the pain that
reaches them. Following
his example, we must
maintain hope and
continue to face the
difficulties that we
face in this life of
trials and expiations,
with courage, strength
and resistance to the
temptations that arise
along the way.
One of these
temptations, the one
that we intend to
approach more closely in
this article, will be
that of non-forgiveness.
Letting hatred, hurt,
the desire for evil and
revenge enter our soul,
like a dense and
penetrating fog, is the
easiest attitude of all,
the one that requires
the least work from us.
What we do not
understand, everything
we do not reach with our
limited minds, is a
potential generator of
conflicts, hurts, and
hatred. If we can
understand the other's
reasons, forgiveness
becomes easier. However,
if the arguments do not
convince us, if we do
not find the reasons for
what hurts us or hurt
those we love, we take
refuge in the thirst for
revenge and retaliation.
Moreover, without a
doubt, we are faced with
events and reasons that
surpass us in such a way
that we cannot help but
feel indignant.
These are very dangerous
feelings that we analyze
here. Dangerous for
whom? For the “enemy”,
for the one who offends,
spreads evil, tortures,
kills, destroys and
spreads all kinds of
suffering? Yes,
certainly, but… not
only. These are very
dangerous feelings for
everyone. However,
essentially for the
victims and for those of
us who feel in
solidarity with the
victims. The greatest
danger, the great danger
of the inability to
forgive, is that of
immobilizing those who
pretend to be good
people, in forces that
destroy character,
sentiment, courage,
human and spiritual
dignity.
On a spiritual level and
even on a psychological
and physical level,
every good feeling
generates well-being,
health, happiness,
harmony, emotional
balance, which
strengthens us to face
difficulties and gives
us resilience. Good
attracts good. Hope and
faith attract hope and
faith. Thoughts of
health, love,
forgiveness, balance,
empathy, attract similar
forces. We tune in, on
all levels, to those who
are similar to us in
feeling.
On the contrary,
bitterness,
disappointment, disgust,
ill-will, the desire for
revenge, hatred, the
thirst for retaliation,
generate imbalance
because they bind forces
that, around us, and
through infinite space,
have similar feelings
and yearn to make use of
us for the realization
of their less worthy
intentions. Without
knowing it, we are so
often not only
accomplices, but also
instruments of the
vilest acts, because we
attract those who share
the same feelings.
Therein lies the great
danger. We all have
experiences that prove
it. What often happens
is that, due to lack of
knowledge, we are not
attentive and do not
analyze our own
experiences. When we
have some bad feeling
towards someone, when we
emit negative thoughts,
when we tune in to evil,
we feel sick, and we
become low and
unbalanced, without
realizing the reason.
The malaise that so
often assails us in an
inexplicable way is not
infrequently due to less
pleasant company that we
enjoy, because we
ourselves call them.
Who wins, then, if we
are not able to overcome
the grudge and the hurt
and let ourselves be
carried away by the
inability to forgive?
Nobody, least of all us.
Forgiving is not an act
of generosity towards
others. Or rather, it
can also be, but that is
not all. Forgiving is,
above all, an act of
releasing the negative
feelings that we hold
onto and that increase
our own suffering.
Jesus knew this when he
advised to forgive
enemies. He knew the
ties to which we all
cling and that impede
our spiritual growth,
ties of deep pain that
have chained us for
millennia and do not let
us see beyond the
smallness of the
feelings we are used to
and that unbalance us
and cause us
unhappiness.
However, it is worth
clarifying: Forgiving is
not excusing the
executioner. Nor fail to
support the victim. It
is not to condone evil.
Nor stop fighting for
the good. Whoever is not
indignant with evil,
whoever accepts the
error, contributes to
suffering and pain to
remain indefinitely.
Good only spreads
through the action of
all. Building a better
world is everyone's duty
and it is, indeed, an
act of courage and
strength of character.
The Spiritist, following
the example of Jesus,
will never be able to
condone evil,
disrespect,
insensitivity to the
pain of others. We have
a duty to be active in
the construction of
good.
Forgiveness is not just
the absence of rancor
and revenge. Forgiveness
is an active struggle
for harmony, a struggle
with the only weapons we
have the right to use:
the weapons of good, of
prayer, of love, of
solidarity.
Let us have the courage
to free ourselves. Let
us leave each one with
his actions and with the
good or bad feelings, he
harbors in his heart.
Let us leave it to God
to judge all and to give
to each according to
what he deserves.
Moreover, let us be
active in the good, if
we consider ourselves
true Spiritists, true
Christians, or, simply,
good men and women.
If forgiveness is
freedom, it is time to
say, let us forgive. We
deserve to free
ourselves through
forgiveness
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