The Dilemma That Faces Us All
वो दुविधा जो हम सबके समक्ष आती है द्वारा केंट नीबुर्ण ये वो दुविधा है जो हम सबके समक्ष आती है जब हम क्षमादान जैसे मुश्किल रास्ते पर चलने का निर्णय लेते हैं | जिसने हमारे साथ गलत किया उसके खिलाफ आवाज़ न उठा कर ,कहीं हम उस गलत कार्य का साथ तो नहीं देते प्रतीत हो रहे ? अथवा क्या हम, जिसने उस अन्याय को जन्म दिया है, उसकी ह्रदय शुन्यता एवं निर्दयता के जाल में उलझ रहे हैं एवं इस दुनिया में उस अन्धकार का सहयोग कर रहे हैं ?
में नहीं जानता हूँ | और फिर भी यह मुझे जानना चाहिए | किसी भी तरह मुझे, आपको, हम सबको, एक रास्ता खोजना होगा , इस विश्व की निर्दयता एवं अन्याय का उत्तर देने का, और वो भी इस तरह जिससे, हमें जो नुक्सान पहुंचा रहे हैं, उन्हें बढ़ावा न मिल जाए | और साथ ही साथ , हमें उनके क्रोध और ह्रदय शुन्यता में उलझ जाने से भी बचना होगा |
और यह हम इंसानों का एक तरह का दाव है, कि क्या यह सबसे अच्छा तरीका होगा इसे करने का जिसमे हम क्षमा दान की एक शुद्ध ज्योति अन्धकार में फैलाएं , यह विश्वास रखते हुए कि यह ज्योति औरों को अपनी और खींच लेगी, अथवा दूसरा तरीका यह कि उस अंधकार के विरुद्ध उसकी बराबर की शक्ति से खड़े हो जाएँ और फिर वहां से दुनिया में रौशनी फैलाएं , अन्धकार के एक तरफ रुकने के बाद|
दोनों ही रास्तों में , एक बात तो निश्चित है : क्षमा दान एक अलग थलग पड़ी हुई, बेजान भावना नहीं हो सकती | उसकी सबसे ज्यादा आवश्यकता होती है, इंसानी खून खराबे के हालात में , एवं उसे डटना इंसानी क्रोध एवं नफरत की आंधी के विरुद्ध | इस दुनियादारी के सन्दर्भ में, एक उत्तम गुणवत्ता के रूप में उभरने के लिए , क्षमा दान को जीवंत, मजबूत होना होगा एवं उसमे अमानवीय कृत्यों एवं अमानवीयता के सामने खड़े होने की क्षमता होनी चाहिए | क्षमा दान को मानवीय स्थिति के अन्धकार स्वरुप के समक्ष खड़े होने का साहस होना चाहिए|
कैसे हम इस प्रकार के क्षमा दान को प्रारूप देते हैं , यह हमारे जीवन का अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण प्रश्न है| और, ये आसान नहीं है|कभी कभी हम इतने हतोत्साहित हो जाते हैं और हमें लगता है हम और नहीं झेल पाएंगे|
पर हम कर सकते हैं, और हमें करना भी चाहिए | यह हमारी इंसानी जिम्मेवारी है| जब कि हमें यह पता है कि क्षमा दान का यदि गलत अर्थ निकल जाता है या उसका गलत प्रयोग हो जाता है तो हमारे इर्द गिर्द हो रहे गलत कार्य एवं व्यवहार का वो सहायक बन जाती है , परन्तु हमें यह भी पता है उसका सही प्रयोग होने पर वो एक चिपकाने वाले गोंद की तरह बन जाती है, जो पूरे इंसानी समुदायों को जोड़ के रखता है|
वो एक तरीका है हमारे अकेलेपन को पार करने का, जो अधिकतर हमें घेरे रखता है | हमें उस, इंसानों को जोड़ने वाले, पुल का निर्माण करने के रास्ते खोजने हैं , बिना यह परवाह करे कि हमारे चारों हाथ बेढंगे हैं और जिन चीज़ों का हम प्रयोग कर सकते हैं उनमे कई कमियाँ हैं|
मनन के लिए बीज प्रश्न:: आप उस धारणा से कैसा नाता रखते हैं कि क्षमा दान को सही गुणवत्त होने के लिए मजबूत एवं जीवंत होना चाहिये? क्या आप ऐसे समय की एक निजी कहानी साझा कर सकते हैं जब आपने क्षम| दान को मानवीय परिवार के चिपकाने वाले गोंद के रूप में अनुभव किया हो? आपको क्षमा दान के पुल निर्माण करने में किस चीज़ से सहायता मिलती है ?
Kent Nerburn is an author of numerous books. Excerpt above from 'Calm Surrender'.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that forgiveness must be muscular and alive in order to be a virtue? Can you share a personal story of a time that you experienced forgiveness as the glue that holds the human family together? What helps you build bridges of forgiveness?
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9 Past Reflections
On Apr 6, 2024 Elaine Gotfryd Noonan wrote :
Bridge building...networking....connecting...transforming...metamorphasizing..... forgiveness is an aspect of each of these life components that improve the way something is into something that "Can Be" if we are willing to remove our ego that often limits or inhibits progression from what we think or position we dig our heels ito and hold onto.
Inner work of our own forgiveness towards ourselves is the first step into being able to look at the position of others and better understand why they think what they think without compromising our core values of life and love in the purest sense.
To thine own shelf be true ......and then it will be automatic and authentic to for give others while maintaining your core virtues.
When going through a divorce, forgiveness of behaviors allowed me to remain open hearted to the love of my family and working toward planning a future for their best, loving lives. Dr. Jagdish Dave'helped tremendously with this as did the teachings of Thich Nhat ... [View Full Comment]
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On Apr 2, 2024 Sandy Weiner wrote :
This question run deep and is at the core of the anger that had built up inside of me. To turn away from the corruption, cruelty, starvation, vastly growing poverty, the destruction of our mother’s health, poisoning of our world and those creating so much harm to others intentionally has been a dilemma for me. I was brought up with the turn the other cheek perspective and the harm I allowed to myself could fill movies. Not interesting ones as the situation, like most, we are trying to learn from kept repeating in new ways as I had not learned to stand in my center and value myself while valuing others. To ask what is forgiveness? Who am I forgiving? Is forgiving another voice of the ego?... what am learning? Why do I keep bringing this into my life?
In essence, what I was doing was empowering the blackness while at the same time enabling light through collaborative systemic process change and empowering project work. There was some good in my work for the other, but what I was doin... [View Full Comment]
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On Apr 2, 2024 Stephen wrote :
We must be able to forgive ourselves before we are capable of foregiving others
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On Apr 2, 2024 Barbie Norby wrote :
Forgiveness seems to be summed up in "forgive them for they know not what they do." Also forgiveness is asking the Divine, "please forgive me for I know not what I do." Having been caught up in a blind, mechanical nature I often do the things I don't want to do. I forget and then allow a lower self within to act through me- criticizing, blaming, judging, hating. Am I really better than the people I condemn as "wrong?" It's all in scale.
When I am able to see this nature (which I've clung to but is not my true self) I can begin to let go of it all. I can see how useless it is. This takes conscious work, but seeing the necessity of letting go of these thoughts from the past which basically resist themselves seems to be what forgiveness and self-freedom truly is. As others responding to this post have said, we are all one consciousness. Every act of forgiveness helps the entire world- now, in the past and in the future.
When I am able to see this nature (which I've clung to but is not my true self) I can begin to let go of it all. I can see how useless it is. This takes conscious work, but seeing the necessity of letting go of these thoughts from the past which basically resist themselves seems to be what forgiveness and self-freedom truly is. As others responding to this post have said, we are all one consciousness. Every act of forgiveness helps the entire world- now, in the past and in the future.
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On Apr 2, 2024 Katie johann wrote :
To be honest, I agree that forgiveness is essential. However, I do not agree that it must come from our human-ness.
When we are angry and outraged, the energy that is out there, has personally affected us. And so we have taken some of it on.
Forgiveness is part of our divine nature. It is quite separate from emotion or justice. It is done to purify the self and heal the self. It is a recognition that you have control over Nothing but yourself.
When we are angry and outraged, the energy that is out there, has personally affected us. And so we have taken some of it on.
Forgiveness is part of our divine nature. It is quite separate from emotion or justice. It is done to purify the self and heal the self. It is a recognition that you have control over Nothing but yourself.
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On Mar 29, 2024 David Doane wrote :
We are complicit always. I believe forgiveness that is expressed in action, outwardly and explicitly, does more good than forgiveness only in one's head. I believe forgiveness is a glue that brings people closer together. Forgiveness has always been difficult for me. When I have forgiven, and to the degree that I have forgiven, it's a positive experience and I and the other are closer. The more I hold back forgiveness, the more distant I and the other continue to be. What helps me build bridges of forgiveness is knowing through my experience of receiving forgiveness and giving forgiveness, however much forgiveness I've given, is knowing that forgiveness is medicine for me and the other, and knowing through experience that forgiveness brings peace and happiness.
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On Mar 28, 2024 Madhuri wrote :
To err is human and to forgive is divine,; that is what I learnt as a child . Also learnt that to ignore injustice is to support injustice. So Iin my understanding forgiveness has an element of being and lies in the realm of inaction as much as it lies in action. An action not to fix the person but to stop the harm and an action that connects all of us, the victim, the perpetrator and the observers to our individual and collective compassion. An action that restores justice, condemns the act and redeems and restores the person who caused harm. But sometimes forgiveness is much more than action, when I feel deep resentment for the wrongings in history, I see disgust for an act turning into hatred for a set of people and hardening parts of me, freezing my real compassionate self, I need help in unfreezing and flowing. I need spaces and people where I feel held and heard. I have been moved by ' rubaroo roshni ' and other real life stories of forgiveness and restorative justice and I th... [View Full Comment]
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On Mar 28, 2024 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Virtues weave the tapestry of our life and make us virtuous, make us human and contrubute to the wellness of life. Virtues connects us and creates harmony in the world. One of the core virtues is forgiveness. I love the famous wise saying: To err is human, to forive is divine. We all have small errors and big errors. I forgive myslfe for making a mistake. Such forgiveness comes from the heart. And such forgiveness elavates my consciousness. Forgiveness has two sides of the coin connected with each other: self-forgiveness and foriveness of others. Both are essential to complete the circle of virtous living. As the author of the article Kent Nerburn writes," It is the glue that holds the human together. It is the way to bridge the loneliness that often surrounds us. Genuine forgiveness is a way to buld that bridge."
As a human being I have made many mistakes. That way I have hurt myself and otherse close to me. I cultivate truthfulness courage and boldness to reconize such mistakes ... [View Full Comment]
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On Mar 28, 2024 Patrick wrote :
I am an old (very old) fan of Kent Nerburn going back to Wolf Not Dog, including the film version. I am also of both Irish and Lakota ancestry…much of my own history is wrapped up in Wolf Not Dog. And here too is the essential, life-giving need for both acknowledgment and forgiveness if any reconciliation and reparation is to happen. Lakota people say, “Mitákuye oyàsin,” which translates to “All are my relatives.”