To err is human, to forgive divine.
I had read this quote some time ago and it got me thinking, what is it that makes a person's ability to pardon, a virtue? I can imagine you (yes, you pretty/handsome little thing) nodding your head when I say forgiving is rather difficult, especially when you have been hurt. It's not always as easy to simply let go of things and move on when you feel like you've been punched in the gut by someone you considered close to you. I mean, lord knows how many coca cola bottles my friend had to buy for me after I forgave for him for helping himself to my slice of pizza ( okay, that maybe a bit of an exaggeration)
This week, however, an incident occurred that made me look at this issue from a different, completely conflicting perspective. It made me think about how, while forgiving somebody can be monumentally difficult, so can be waiting on somebody to be forgiven especially if you are sincerely sorry.
I have a dog, Lassi (pronounced like the drink, not the collie) at my place and not surprisingly, my otherwise very sweet mother is not particularly fond of letting her stay in, especially during the night. Lassi is quite old and has been shedding quite a bit and so, I (the amazing merciful all loving angel that I am :P ) am not so comfortable with letting her stay outside in the cold and all alone. So, I let her in despite all the complains my mom has. Sadly for me, Lassi isn't the most well behaved dog on the block (ooohh, I should write a song "dog on the block") and so pees quite a bit around the house and everyt ime she does my mom makes me clean it up, telling me 'its my fault.' Now usually I don't mind it, but on this particular day I was in a pretty bad mood myself and so when I saw a pool of clear liquid near the staircase, all I could see was red. I have to shamefully admit that I beat my dog rather mercilessly which caused her to run away and hide under the car. It was only later that I realized that it was only water and I had unfairly mistreated my dog. A surge of guilt engulfed me and I quickly ran downstairs so I could coax my dog out from under the car to apologize (NO, I'm not crazy but she was hurt!). I know it was a tiny thing to obsess over but I really do love my dog and I felt extremely guilty for almost beating her.
If Lassi was human, not that any human I know would consider the staircase a toilet, they would have probably never have anything to do with me or at the least perhaps hit me back, or shout or give me the silent treatment. However, Lassi just slowly came out from under her hiding spot, wagging her tail and accepting me as I embraced her. I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from my chest and I ended up loving my dog even more.
This particular event made me realize why forgiveness is called a virtue for the "divine". Its not only because it is something rather difficult to do, but because it also releases someone else from a very heavy burden of guilt and regret which, from what I have learnt from experience is a very pleasant feeling. It is, I have decided, something I should practice more often, especially when people mistakenly eat my food.
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