"Forgive Me, I'm Sorry I Got Caught"
A cynic might say, in the wake of so many adulterous politicians, that in future they should issue a preemptive confession before running for President to save The National Enquirer excess ink. Why wait until you are caught? John Edwards' gotcha moment hasn't stirred much glee, perhaps because a rich personal-injury lawyer was an unlikely figure to mold into presidential stature to begin with. On the more humane side, his wife's illness and Edwards' own political failures create a sense of sadness. They both deserve sympathy and the right to retreat into the shelter of home, family, and hopefully a marriage whose wounds will heal. The confession itself smacked of hypocrisy -- as with other cheating politicians, one suspects that Edwards is mostly sorry that he got caught. that he would cheat on a devoted spouse with cancer is best passed over with a cringing silence.
But the question posed is whether forgiveness can be so difficult that it stretches religious faith too far. Yes, of course. The most devout Jews are not expected, required, rewarded, or pressured to forgive the Holocaust. Such forgiveness would be the same as saintliness. Human nature is vulnerable. Violence and persecution create wounds in any faith that not only last but are exacerbated, because for true believers attacking their faith is the same as attacking God -- an unforgivable affront. The notion that God is bothered by being attacked seems irrational to someone outside organized religion, but it is a persistent article of belief and has been for centuries.
A more probing question, then, would be whether forgiveness and faith are compatible. Yes again. The devout, like the rest of us, are capable of holding two contradictory ideas at the same time. As unforgivable as Christians in the past found it that the Jews crucified Christ (their perspective, not ours), forgiveness is a primary tenet in Jesusʼ teachings. He asks for the most difficult form of forgiveness when it is offered to one's enemies. How does a Christian bridge the gap between that ideal and the natural reaction of revenge and resentment? I feel that traditional Christianity doesn't bridge the gap. Without a shift in consciousness, it's impossible to clear the psychological slate and forgive deep hurts just because you aspire to be moral. The imprints made on the psyche by violence and humiliation, guilt and shame, prejudice and lack of love, are as real as wounds to the body. The psyche possesses some healing mechanisms that work -- the passage of time, forgetfulness, the will to forgive, a strong sense of self, and love. These healing methods, however, have their limits.
Eventually, forgiveness cannot be accessed simply because you want to forgive. The essence of forgiveness is transcendent -- it lies in a domain of consciousness where the wound doesn't exist and the wrong never occurred. Whenever we forgive our children and other loved ones, we do so by transcending the normal responses of blame and judgment. To find a larger sense of forgiveness, you have to undertake a journey that leads to this transcendent place inside yourself. Sadly, few people begin the journey with enough knowledge and guidance to arrive at the goal. As Edwards will discover, it's an unforgiving world. But one must be deeply grateful that transcendent forgiveness is real. After all, the day may come when we need it ourselves for our own transgressions.
By
Deepak Chopra
|
August 13, 2008; 8:33 AM ET
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Posted by: Robin | August 15, 2008 8:28 AM
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Some thoughts to add from the Infinite Player Series of Thought
Forgiveness is a selfish act because we first do it to benefit our self, anger and hate will rot the gut and the mind and impede your success and harmony. That forgiveness also tends to benefit the violator is a side benefit. If we forgive and extend love to the violator then we heal two.
When we forgive it stops a demon in it’s tracks that may have been passed down through the centuries from host to host, having no existence of it’s own, multiplying itself. Many demons are created during war. Casting a demon into the pit for eternity with forgiveness is quite an accomplishment.
It makes it easier to forgive when we understand we were all born innocent into a world of fiction. Conditioned with erroneous beliefs and living in a system plagued by ignorance that rewards those that embrace the fictions, where love is conditional upon your behavior and your ability to conform. So we see a being molded by it’s environment and the systems of society and trapped in the illusions of the world.
It makes it easier to forgive when we realize that it was not so much an attack on you as it was an attack on an illusion in their mind. Every transgression and violation is the result of an illusion, an injustice born as a result of a fiction.
So if you want to target something, don’t target the being behind the violation target the fictions and ignorance of the world, bring the truth to light that will dissolve them, be the love that heals the wounds inflicted by the ego which can be a horrible beast when cut off from love and spirit the only things that can tame it.
And someday in the future the roles might be reversed and if you forgive now so might you be forgiven in the future.
Embrace and transform your enemy, seek to eliminate the fear in their mind and yours.
And like Char said, one is really forgiving their own self, a knowing which comes from self realization where as Deepak mentioned “the wound doesn't exist and the wrong never occurred.”
Posted by: Richard Thomas | August 14, 2008 1:27 PM
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8.14.08 just some thoughts on non-judgement... always forgive... but walk away if it is time
Playing House on God's Green Earth
What is this new Earth?
Changing with light
Once it was understood
Marriage of Man and Wife
But times have changed
And to think the covenants have not
Well, that is misaligned thinking
That can slow down all plots
Cheating and such
Who's making these rules?
In private or public
It's no one persons fool
Individual partners determine themselves
What level of love they which to embrace in stealth
In other words….
Marriage has many reasons
Some only think sex
But most are for conveniences
And all around respect
Just because the public
Can't see the private affairs
What rights do we have
To judge childish sin – claries???
What I am saying is we will never know
And who gave us the right to JUDGE
There single PRIVATE show???
Marriage is making huge jumps
Just to catch up with LIFE
Who you have sex with or intimate relations
Only needs to be discussed by YOU and Your Wife
No need to bring the US public who has over a 50% divorce RATE to judge!!!
If the public COULD be a WISE judge they would ALREADY know NOT to Judge!!
Private affairs of the HEART can never be explained
And only meant to deliver the SOUL into the divinity of another PLANE
We will NEVER know or understand two LOVERS perception of desire, absolute necessity, or individual fire….it is private and remains to be between the lovers within there own realm of history….We have NO RIGHTS to judge…. Live and let LIVE….
just some thoughts on judgement and forgiving all things...but also walk away when you feel that it is time....
To Love is Human
To Forgive is Divine
Love to all
RAZ
**this is meant to be read in a loving tone...and in agreement with this article**
Posted by: RAZ | August 14, 2008 8:21 AM
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But what do you do with an offense that continues unabated apology after apology? To forgive is a good thing but there comes a time in a relationship when the same offense is repeated time after time that to forgive becomes a synonym for to enable.
Posted by: Garyd | August 13, 2008 9:33 PM
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"Eventually, forgiveness cannot be accessed simply because you want to forgive. The essence of forgiveness is transcendent -- it lies in a domain of consciousness where the wound doesn't exist and the wrong never occurred."
If the wound doesn't exist and the wrong never occurred there is no need for forgiveness. Forgiveness is required because a wound does exist and wrong did occur. The desire and willingness to forgive is the first step to accessing the transcendent grace to forgive.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 13, 2008 9:16 PM
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"As unforgivable as Christians in the past found it that the Jews crucified Christ (their perspective, not ours), forgiveness is a primary tenet in Jesusʼ teachings. He asks for the most difficult form of forgiveness when it is offered to one's enemies. How does a Christian bridge the gap between that ideal and the natural reaction of revenge and resentment? I feel that traditional Christianity doesn't bridge the gap."
The perspective of a Hindu on Christianity. In Hinduism there is the law of Karma, where all sins must be atoned for over many life times.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 13, 2008 9:11 PM
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Maybe this will explain all the sexual problems on Earth.
The Original Sacred Site on Earth, was in the Garden of Eden. This Sacred Site was where the Adam and Eve Colony, were Reproduced 'supernaturally', not by Heterosexual Body Birth.
The Temple in the Garden of Eden, was a High Tech Science Lab, the 'Tree of Life'. The Perfect Humans reproduced there, started Imperfect Heterosexual Body Birth, their Original Sin. The female womb became the Evil 'Tree of Life' on Earth. The Good, High Tech Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, was banned to them.
Recently, High Tech Science Humans have built a Lab, a Temple for 'in vitro' reproduction. We do not have the High Tech Science Tree of Life Womb, as yet, for Equal Birth for All. Imagine all the female wombs used, to reproduce Unequal Humans in the Past.
Fallen Humans have built many Pagan Religious Temples, to all their different Gods. Religion teaches, in these Temples, about Eternal 'Life' After Death. Can Faith believers explain this?
Can Reason, or our High Tech Science explain this? Should Faith rule over the High Tech Science Truth, of Eternal Life After Birth.
The Asexual and Mis-bred Humans, Lost their High Tech Science Knowledge of Eternal Physical Life 'After Birth', and Died. Fallen Human Punishment, was, they had to Live through the rebirth of their Decayed Elements on Earth, through the Fullness of Time of Life on Earth.
With 7 Billion Humans on Earth, Are All of the Past Humans 'born again' today, for the Final Judgement Day, of the Fullness of Time of Mis-bred Life on Earth?
Posted by: Dolores Lear | August 13, 2008 5:03 PM
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I loved the article and as always you bring into light some of the darkest subjects we are afraid to speak of…
What I haven’t seen in any of the comments so far are questions of why.
It is like we assume the “cheaters” all have the same thing in mind, which is what? “I just can’t wait to cheat on my wife.” That is too simple. The more important question is "How will the people involved find peace within their own hearts and understanding within their minds?”
What if we were to ask…
“Did the people involved understand the reasoning behind the situation that looks from the OUTSIDE to be a negative karmic event and was growth of Soul a result of this event?”
A focus needs to address the true desire of a man, or a woman, who wishes to move out of the covenant of marriage in such away to become personally intimated with another soul. As we remember each covenant is different for every couple and we may never know what this situation’s covenant was or is now.
THIS IS THE ISSUE in my eyes….
Forgiveness is a side track that brings the focus OFF the TRUTH. I heard the “parry dog” idea that some people are just born to have more than one mate, which I don’t agree or disagree, but the focus to evolution of the soul is understanding oneself and indirectly understanding others.
When you move out in space far enough to see the big beautiful earth and know you won’t remain on this planet very long, a bigger picture is instinctively brought into focus.
Choosing a partner that can evolve with you on this planet at the very same rate is highly unlikely.
As we studying the difference between soul partnerships and marriage partnerships with the understanding that our collective consciousness is evolving also, we will see more and more covenants rearrange old paradigms of “cheating” into a loving embrace of higher awareness of soul.
I pray that every reader of these words take a few minutes to dig deeper into their own soul and review the many reasons that this situation may have occurred with compassion and a knowing that we are all learning to evolve our own souls with great kindness and the ability to try to understand ourselves and others. As we let go of anger, personal hurt, and situational pain even when we can not understand the other persons perspective…. If we can do this we will have NO more WAR…
Great love to all and deep compassion as I surrender my need to understand all views but keep awareness open for evolution of self to arrive…..
Great love ~Robin