Thursday; July 13

Over the last several decades I have watched as people, fueled by social outrage, have turned on their own communities to express their frustration.  Through the years many of our major U. S. cities have experienced rioting and, as a part of that, I have been amazed that rather than directing their destructive behavior toward outsiders, they burn and loot their own neighborhoods.  I am sure there is an explanation for it, but it escapes me.

Having said that, there is something similar that personally happens inside many of us.  How often to do harm ourselves when we are at odds with others?  Nelson Mandela once said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”.  Others have observed that hate and anger are both caustic emotions that eat away at the vessels that possess them.  Like a community that turns on itself, people who become bitter inexplicitly seem to do more harm to themselves than they do to focal point of their disagreements.

I am not an anthropologist set on understanding societies, but I do believe that there is an answer to individuals dealing with negative emotions turned inwardly.  Forgiveness is not flashy, but it is functional.  When we make the decision to let go of our intense emotions, we not only help others, we also do ourselves a favor.  We have a spiritual requirement to forgive, but forgiving others is also one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

Are we in the midst of an interpersonal crisis?  Is it getting the best of us?  Maybe the easiest way to resolve our personal plight is to just let it go.

Think about it!