FORGIVENESS IS THE FINAL FORM OF LOVE









“Blame keeps wounds open,” says Thomas S. Manson, “Only forgiveness heals.”

I know it is true. Yet, I find it so difficult to end this blame-game. Frankly, I only pretend, often, that I don’t blame… But, I alone know what a lie that is!

Now, why is it so difficult for me to end the blame-game completely? What comes on the way?

My Ego!

Our Egos!

So often, I have seen, that we come very close to ending our misunderstandings and making peace. But, just when we are about to embrace, something – some past unresolved memory, hurt etc – pops up, and we step back, once again!

‘We’ means… two people from within our families, as close as a husband and a wife, a parent and a son or daughter, an uncle/aunt and a nephew/niece… two partners in a business, two neighbours, two community members, two business or political opponents etc…

Experience shows us,  that, even though we all desire to live a peaceful life, we do not know what prevents us from doing it… 

Ego blinds us… It doesn’t allow us ‘see’ that ‘blockade’!

“Forgiveness liberates the soul… It removes fear,” said Nelson Mandela, “That’s why it’s such a powerful weapon.”

Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, end, even Jesus Christ… They all had people in their lives who they could not make peace with… I mean from both the ends! If so, who are we to claim, that we are some evolved souls?

Yesterday, my friend, Ashish, sent to me this video:





I listen to Gaur Gopal Das regularly and find his message to be very simple and practical. Yes, I said, ‘Practical’…

Look, what an honest confession he makes before his foreign audience! It takes huge amount of courage and fearlessness to do that…

You must have watched this video from Deepak Ramola, too…





Yes, Sir, ending the blame-game is not very easy. Ego creeps in even before we blink!

But, then, if we are conscious – totally aware – when our Egos creep in, I think, it does a lot good to our well-being… Our entire life is a journey of dealing with our egos… It’s a journey of learning to love and live in peace…That’s why Reinhold Niebuhr said, “Forgiveness is the final form of love.”


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Kamal Kishore Rikhari

Videos: Gaur Gopal Das/Deepak Ramola (YouTube)



Comments

Ashish Srivastava said…
Very aptly put Gerry! Coupled with videos It makes a defining blog!
October 4, 2018 at 10:13 AM
Gerald D'Cunha said…
Thanx Ashish.... In fact, the video you shared did it. Love
October 5, 2018 at 9:29 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...