Michael Bernard Beckwith 274 words, 34K views, 27 comments
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On Apr 24, 2011rahul wrote :
When someone hurts/harms me out of ignorance, I find it much easier to 'turn the other cheek,' than when I'm hurt with intention. What has helped me when I'm intentionally attacked is 1. to observe my bodily pain 2. recognize that the other person is in pain too, and the pain they're giving me is just a small fraction of their own pain 3. remember the most severe physical pain I've been able to endure calmly so I can muster the strength to keep calmly observing 4. speak only after pain has mostly subsided 5. let first words be those of acknowledgement, followed by apology for the role I played in the other's pain 6. hug or smile as soon as possible, if possible :-) Marriage has taught me more about forgiveness than anything else in my life because arguments and even silent disagreement spoil the atmosphere more quickly than anything else, laying the basis for continual escalation. Paraphrasing the wisdom of Sun Tzu as heard from a 4th grader, "Those who win arguments will want to argue more. Those who lose arguments will want to win arguments and thus argue more." Forgiveness is the only path to peace and sanity.
On Apr 24, 2011 rahul wrote :
When someone hurts/harms me out of ignorance, I find it much easier to 'turn the other cheek,' than when I'm hurt with intention. What has helped me when I'm intentionally attacked is 1. to observe my bodily pain 2. recognize that the other person is in pain too, and the pain they're giving me is just a small fraction of their own pain 3. remember the most severe physical pain I've been able to endure calmly so I can muster the strength to keep calmly observing 4. speak only after pain has mostly subsided 5. let first words be those of acknowledgement, followed by apology for the role I played in the other's pain 6. hug or smile as soon as possible, if possible :-) Marriage has taught me more about forgiveness than anything else in my life because arguments and even silent disagreement spoil the atmosphere more quickly than anything else, laying the basis for continual escalation. Paraphrasing the wisdom of Sun Tzu as heard from a 4th grader, "Those who win arguments will want to argue more. Those who lose arguments will want to win arguments and thus argue more." Forgiveness is the only path to peace and sanity.