Just a thought in my mind…
When we end a relationship, are hurt by someone we trusted, are left by people we loved, we get angry. It’s easy to be angry at the person who failed us, because they caused us pain and they are not people deserving of forgiveness. We objectify them and focus only on the piece of them that let us down. We, in a sense, dehumanize them in order to make it easier for us to stay angry at them.
But when that person we loved goes through an unspeakable tragedy- when they are left feeling broken and hurt, we are open to forgiving them. We see their pain and we want to make things right. I don’t think it is pity that occurs then. What I think makes us forgive and forget is the realization in that time of pain that they are a whole human being. Capable not only of hurting others, but of being hurt. We remember that they are just as fragile as us and that there is so much more to be understood about someone.
These are just a few of my thoughts on the broad topics of betrayal and forgiveness.
