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The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

jyotirgamya.org

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Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#51

You can forgive but still have nothing to do with the person. Forgiveness doesn't have to mean you continue with them in any fashion at all. That's a separate choice. Some people stay together, or keep their relationship whatever it was, and don't forgive each other, over whatever. Others forgive, but move on, and no longer have anything to do with each other. Forgiveness and maintaining a relationship are independen…

He says “forgive them for they know not what they do”. It is a qualified forgiveness, he does not intend to take revenge on the ignorant.

Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#52

The problem I have with forgiveness is it is antithetical to creating a disincentive for the behavior or action being forgiven. What incentive does a maligned person have to change their behavior if they don't have any consequences?

You demarcate a boundary where your own wellbeing is more important than your control of the integrity of the other person.

It defines the existence of a boundary of identity.

Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what you say is the definition of forgiveness, sure. But is that the definition of forgiveness that everyone else actually has? Clearly enough people have a definition of forgiveness meaning exactly "acting like what a person did never happened", that threads like this become split with people talking past each other.

I mean... dictionary.com?? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive 1 : to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon forgive one's enemies

Dictionaries don’t determine how populations actually use words. They either tell you what the author thinks the word should mean, or more optimistically how a population used to use a word, with considerable lag between updates. When a dictionary fails to capture the meaning of how people use a word, is that a failure of the dictionary, or the people using the word?

To be clear, you are not wrong for having your own definition, but neither are others. Which is what I’m trying to communicate.

Again, what’s most important is to hear what people are actually saying in good faith, instead of trying to jam it into the shape we’d prefer. If so many people have a more complex definition of forgiveness than expected, does constantly waggling a finger and pointing to another definition facilitate communication, or does it start resembling gaslighting? For many people, telling them to “forgive” is identical to telling them to say “it’s fine/it’s no problem anymore”. What a dictionary says is irrelevant here, is the above what you really want to say, even accidentally?

When a population is clearly split on word meaning, then frankly the best thing to do is find a better word that can properly separate the concepts being used. Or just call it what it is, “letting go of anger/resentment”. Frankly that’s a lot more clear on the scope and benefits of what is being talked about. Perhaps psychology has something applicable, dunno.

Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#55
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went through this with an online friend. I understand why they were like they were, but I couldn't let them continue to be that way around me. Years later, we're talking again, and I think it'll be okay this time. It'll never be the same, but at least it's not nothing.

Did you set new parameters for the relationship, and they eventually accepted it?

No, but I told them what they did wrong and how I wouldn't stand for it. I also took away the avenue they used to wrong me (Facebook) when I split with them, and didn't reinstate it when we started talking again. We never really communicated via FB anyhow, so it didn't matter much.

Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#56
post #51

You can forgive but still have nothing to do with the person. Forgiveness doesn't have to mean you continue with them in any fashion at all. That's a separate choice. Some people stay together, or keep their relationship whatever it was, and don't forgive each other, over whatever. Others forgive, but move on, and no longer have anything to do with each other. Forgiveness and maintaining a relationship are independen…

He says “forgive them for they know not what they do”. It is a qualified forgiveness, he does not intend to take revenge on the ignorant.

[deleted]

Re: The Forgiver's Dilemma: Can Letting Go Set You Free?

#57
post #51

You can forgive but still have nothing to do with the person. Forgiveness doesn't have to mean you continue with them in any fashion at all. That's a separate choice. Some people stay together, or keep their relationship whatever it was, and don't forgive each other, over whatever. Others forgive, but move on, and no longer have anything to do with each other. Forgiveness and maintaining a relationship are independen…

He says “forgive them for they know not what they do”. It is a qualified forgiveness, he does not intend to take revenge on the ignorant.

Yeah I’m not saying all the different aspects have to apply in any one situation.

But he does pity them, like I said, which is pretty epic.

We probably can’t come up to Jesus’ level. Humans, I mean we aren’t that perfect.

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