forgiveness essay introduction

66 Forgiveness Essay: Examples, Titles, & Thesis Statement

A forgiveness essay is an exciting yet challenging task. In our article, you can find good forgiveness essay examples in literature, history, religion, and other spheres

📝 Writing a Forgiveness Theme Statement

🏆 best forgiveness essay examples, 🔍 simple forgiveness titles for essay, 💡 interesting forgiveness essay examples.

In your forgiveness essay, focus on different aspects of forgiveness. Some good forgiveness titles for the essay reveal themes of revenge, justice, and personal forgiveness. You can write an excellent reflective or argumentative essay on forgiveness – it is a versatile topic.

Regardless of your forgiveness essay’s specific topic and type, you should develop a strong thesis statement. Below we will provide recommendations on making a good forgiveness theme statement. This will help you come up with a solid base and arguments to prove your position.

Check these tips to make a powerful forgiveness thesis statemen:

• Determine the primary idea. What are you trying to prove? Can anything be forgiven, or are there cases when it’s not possible? Introduce your one main idea and the angle from which you will look at it. You can also include some facts or opinions about the acuteness of the topic.
• Work out your argumentation. It is crucial to have a firm structure in your forgiveness essay. You need to support the thesis statement with several arguments and evidence to demonstrate the consistency of your paper.
• Think of the opposing views. Every argument has a counterargument. When working on your forgiveness theme statement, always keep an opposite thesis statement in mind. Having considered counter positions, you gain additional arguments for your position.
• Don’t quote others in your thesis statement. A thesis statement is the first and foremost chance to introduce your point of view. Use your own strongest words to reach a reader. This is where they get the first impression about the whole work.

We also have lots of other tips on developing A+ thesis statements. Check our free thesis statement generator to discover more information and get a perfect forgiveness theme statement.

• Divine and Human Forgiveness in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” By Samuel Taylor Coleridge After killing the albatross who was suppose to provide them with wind, all the people in the ship died but he managed to survive because he had asked God to forgive him all the sins […]
• Hamlet and Forgiveness: A Personal Reflection Some of the most prominent themes in the story are the ideas of mutual forgiveness, people’s motivation to be proactive and take risks, and their willingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness.
• Christ’s Atonement and the Concept of Forgiveness This study will connect the atonement of Jesus Christ and attitudes towards forgiveness through the revision of the current church, Love and God’s commandment to forgive.
• Service Recovery and Customer Forgiveness Studies suggest that after apologizing to customers plus taking responsibility for the problem, getting to the root of the problem is very important to prevent such occurrences in the future. Getting to the root of […]
• Racial Inequality Targeted Student Loan Forgiveness Programs The research into this topic seems highly significant as the reduction of racial inequality was one of the most debated topics in the U.S.for the last several decades.
• Forgiveness in the Christian Texts and the World Today The apostle calls upon the church’s people to stop the punishment of the wrongdoer and forgive, comfort, and affirm their love for him. It instructs Muslims to follow God and forgive others instead of following […]
• Philosophy of Forgiveness I believe that if anyone had gone through all the pain and horror that Simon had, and was asked to forgive Karl, the instinct, and most humane reaction at that moment would be to strongly […]
• Forgiveness for Workplace Conflict Resolution The problem with the relationship between the two workers is that Jake feels that Monica is a relatively malicious individual. In the outlined scenario, Jake is doing all that he can to avoid dealing with […]
• The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy After gathering the relevant data, the researchers compared the recovery of the participants to their controls to determine the effects of forgiveness therapy.
• Self-Forgiveness: The Step Child of Forgiveness Research Other than the similarities and the differences, the two types of forgiveness relate to each other as self-forgiveness facilitates interpersonal forgiveness, this is through allowance of one to identify with one’s offender.
• The Amish Philosophy of Forgiveness It is important to note that the immediate forgiveness of the enemy does not mean that the Amish will let the perpetrators of crime go free.
• Review: “Interventions Studies on Forgiveness: A Meta-analysis” by Baskin T. and Enright R. In the church, members come to the pastor with a variety of social and psychological issues. The first step the pastor should undertake is to sympathise with the victims.
• Self-Forgiveness as the Path to Learning to Forgive the Others The key issues that the given research responds to or, at least, attempts to solve, are the definition of self-forgiveness, the relation between self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness, and the means to differentiate between self-forgiveness and […]
• The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression, Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress for Women After Spousal Emotional Abuse Enright forgiveness model applied in the study proved effective since it systematically addressed the forgiveness process identified the negative attributes caused by the abuse, and prepared the women for positive responses.
• Forgiveness & Reconciliation: The Differing Perspectives of Psychologists and Christian Theologians Based on the research design there is evidence of measures put in place to control against most of these biases which strengthens the study findings; this is the strength to the study.
• Forgiveness and Reconciliation Critique Availability of literature; as stated in the literature though the area of forgiveness is new in the field of psychology, but there is enough literature to cover the study.
• Forgiveness in Simon Wiesenthal’s Work The Sunflower Taking into account the major themes of the book The Sunflower, one is to make a conclusion that such response to atrocities as forgiveness is considered to be the key aspect of humanity.
• Forgiveness in Martin Luther’s Movement for Rights Blacks The bible teachings tell us that God exists in the holy trinity and the only way to forgive others is for us to be able to forgive our own transgressions.
• The Idea Of Forgiveness Resonates Differently With Every Individual
• Accident Forgiveness in Automobile Insurance
• The Association Of Feathers And Forgiveness
• Christians’ Beliefs About Justice And Forgiveness
• Debt Forgiveness: The Missing Link in Closing Gap with Third World
• Christian Beliefs about Justice, Forgiveness and Reconciliation
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• Crusades and the Forgiveness of Sins of the Sinners
• Feelings Surrounding the Need for Forgiveness in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights
• Why Forgiveness Is Essential and the Forgiveness Manadala
• The Desirability of Forgiveness in Regulatory Enforcement
• The Styles of Forgiveness Communication in Association with Determinants of Forgiveness in In the Wake of Transgressions, an Article by Andy Merolla
• The Spiritual Principle of Forgiveness in Wes Anderson’s Film The Royal Tenenbaums, Saint Augustine’s Confessions, and the Biblical Story of Adam and Eve
• The Problems With Forgiveness: An Analysis of Literary Works
• The Relationship Between Forgiveness and Sleep Quality
• The Themes of Betrayal and Forgiveness in Paradise Lost by John Milton and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
• Love, Forgiveness, and Trust: Critical Values of the Modern Leader
• Compassion and Forgiveness: Wilde’s Insincerity
• The Secret Life of Bees An Analysis of Forgiveness and Responsibility
• Themes Of Forgiveness In The Tempest By William Shakespeare
• Resolutions of Forgiveness, Repentance and Reconciliation in Shakespeare
• The Kite Runner: Forgiveness, Loyalty, and the Quest for Redemption
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• Morals And Forgiveness In Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower
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• The Monster’s Lack of Forgiveness in Frankenstein, a Book by Mary Shelley
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• Man Alive: A True Story Of Violence, Forgiveness And Becoming
• The Renaissance Figure That Wonders the Lands in Hope of Bring Forgiveness in the Pardoner and His Tale
• The Impact of Acceptance, Tolerance, and Forgiveness in Frankenstein, a Novel by Mary Shelley
• Racism, Redemption, Forgiveness and Hope in Minor Miracle, a Poem by Marilyn Nelson
• Why Perspective in Forgiveness and Redemption is so Important
• The Themes Punishment vs. Forgiveness Present in the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Dynamics of Corporate Debt forgiveness and Contract Renegotiation
• Throwing Stones-Resilience and Forgiveness in The Glass Castle
• The Importance of Granting Forgiveness to One’s Enemies in Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower: on Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
• The Meaning and Significance for Christians Today of Forgiveness
• Penalties and Exclusion in the Rescheduling and Forgiveness of International Loans
• Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Empathy and Forgiveness
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• Exploring the Themes of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in The Tempest by William Shakespeare
• Vengeance and Forgiveness in Shakespeare’s The Tempest
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• Unbroken A Story Of Redemption And Forgiveness By Laura
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Forgiveness Essay

• Author Kimberly Ball
• Category Popular Essay Topics

Disclaimer: This paper has been submitted by a student. This is not a sample of the work written by professional academic writers.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of StudySaurus.

Topic: Why is forgiveness important

Throughout your life, you will have to forgive people. Often times, forgiveness can be difficult. A wise man once declared, “Holding a grudge does not make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving does not make you weak; it sets you free.” Forgiving others allow you to overcome your anger, to heal spiritual wounds, and to be set free.

First, forgiving others allows you to overcome your anger. If you hold a situation against someone, you begin to also hold a grudge. This is also known as bitterness. Bitterness builds up over time and eventually, you become a negative form of yourself. Anger is not something you should hold in. It’s proven that anger is more than just an emotion, it has physiological effects on you.

Secondly, forgiving allows you to heal spiritual wounds. Matthew 6:14-15 “ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Once you forgive others, our Father in Heaven will forgive you. Healing spiritual wounds will allow you to grow closer to Jesus and your family in Christ. With spiritual wounds, you will never be fully whole.

Last, forgiving simply sets you free. Forgiving others will allow weight to come off your shoulders. When you do not forgive, a bad feeling exists inside of you. It makes you feel hatred. One element of life is loving everyone, you cannot do this until you forgive. You have to be a blessing. With bitterness in your thoughts and mind, you cannot do this.

Overall, you will have to forgive people every day. Everyone makes mistakes. You should forgive people as fast as you would want them to forgive you. Forgiving gives you the chance to overcome your anger, to heal your spiritual wounds, and to set you free. Forgiveness is the key to life.

Explain why it is important to forgive

The Freedom of Forgiveness

It is very important to forgive others. Forgiveness means to forget someone’s bad deed or mistake. Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never received. You react to someone else’s mistake can be vital to your life and the lives of the others around you. Avoiding forgiveness can leave frustration in your heart and destroy your personality. You must learn to forgive others and yourself. It is very important to forgive.

First of all, it is important to react in the right way to someone else’s mistake. When you act in a response to an act or mistake, it could cause damage to good and bad sides. Fighting or taking revenge will only make a situation worse and it also means that you would commit a bad deed as well. If you do not fight or take revenge, but choose to forgive, you are at a higher place than the other person. By acting mature and not fighting or taking revenge, you will not damage your self-respect. Also, there will be peace between you and the other person because you both acted in a mature way. It is important to react in the right way to someone else’s mistake.

Secondly, it is important to forgive because avoiding forgiveness causes frustration in your heart and destroys your personality. If you forgive someone, you will feel better about yourself. Your heart and your mind will become more relaxed because you have peace in knowing that you do not have to be angry with anyone. In history, war broke out because countries could not forgive each other. If you simply learn to forgive, your mind and heart will be at peace instead of at war. Forgiveness is very important.

Lastly, forgiveness is important to you and the people around you. If you do not find forgiveness in yourself, others can become victims of your ego and revenge. If you are too prideful to forgive someone, you need to change your mindset. If someone does you wrong, you must treat everyone in a kind way because it is not their fault. If you don’t forgive yourself, you can’t forgive others. Forgiveness is very important to you and the people around you.

In conclusion, it is very important to forgive others. It is important to react in the right way to someone else’s mistake. It is important to never avoid forgiveness. Also, the way you react to forgiveness will affect you and the people around you. It is very important to forgive others.

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Eight Keys to Forgiveness

When another person hurts us, it can upend our lives.

Sometimes the hurt is very deep, such as when a spouse or a parent betrays our trust , or when we are victims of crime, or when we’ve been harshly bullied . Anyone who has suffered a grievous hurt knows that when our inner world is badly disrupted, it’s difficult to concentrate on anything other than our turmoil or pain. When we hold on to hurt, we are emotionally and cognitively hobbled, and our relationships suffer.

Forgiveness is strong medicine for this. When life hits us hard, there is nothing as effective as forgiveness for healing deep wounds. I would not have spent the last 30 years of my life studying forgiveness if I were not convinced of this.

Many people have misconceptions about what forgiveness really means—and they may eschew it. Others may want to forgive, but wonder whether or not they truly can. Forgiveness does not necessarily come easily; but it is possible for many of us to achieve, if we have the right tools and are willing to put in the effort.

Below is an outline of the basic steps involved in following a path of forgiveness, adapted from my new book, 8 Keys to Forgiveness . As you read through these steps, think about how you might adapt them to your own life.

1. Know what forgiveness is and why it matters

Forgiveness is about goodness, about extending mercy to those who’ve harmed us, even if they don’t “deserve” it. It is not about finding excuses for the offending person’s behavior or pretending it didn’t happen. Nor is there a quick formula you can follow. Forgiveness is a process with many steps that often proceeds in a non-linear fashion.

But it’s well worth the effort. Working on forgiveness can help us increase our self-esteem and give us a sense of inner strength and safety. It can reverse the lies that we often tell ourselves when someone has hurt us deeply—lies like, I am defeated or I’m not worthy . Forgiveness can heal us and allow us to move on in life with meaning and purpose. Forgiveness matters, and we will be its primary beneficiary.

Studies have shown that forgiving others produces strong psychological benefits for the one who forgives. It has been shown to decrease depression, anxiety, unhealthy anger, and the symptoms of PTSD. But we don’t just forgive to help ourselves. Forgiveness can lead to psychological healing, yes; but, in its essence, it is not something about you or done for you. It is something you extend toward another person, because you recognize, over time, that it is the best response to the situation.

2. Become “forgivingly fit”

More on forgiveness.

Read and watch Fred Luskin explain "What is Forgiveness?"

Read three evolutionary truths about forgiveness and revenge .

Discover how to overcome barriers to forgiveness .

How forgiving are you? Take our quiz !

Try this forgiveness practice , based on Enright's work.

To practice forgiveness, it helps if you have worked on positively changing your inner world by learning to be what I call “forgivingly fit.” Just as you would start slowly with a new physical exercise routine, it helps if you build up your forgiving heart muscles slowly, incorporating regular “workouts” into your everyday life.

You can start becoming more fit by making a commitment to do no harm—in other words, making a conscious effort not to talk disparagingly about those who’ve hurt you. You don’t have to say good things; but, if you refrain from talking negatively, it will feed the more forgiving side of your mind and heart.

You can also make a practice of recognizing that every person is unique, special, and irreplaceable. You may come to this through religious beliefs or a humanist philosophy or even through your belief in evolution. It’s important to cultivate this mindset of valuing our common humanity, so that it becomes harder to discount someone who has harmed you as unworthy.

You can show love in small ways in everyday encounters—like smiling at a harried grocery cashier or taking time to listen to a child. Giving love when it’s unnecessary helps to build the love muscle, making it easier to show compassion toward everyone. If you practice small acts of forgiveness and mercy—extending care when someone harms you—in everyday life, this too will help. Perhaps you can refrain from honking when someone cuts you off in traffic, or hold your tongue when your spouse snaps at you and extend a hug instead.

Sometimes pride and power can weaken your efforts to forgive by making you feel entitled and inflated, so that you hang onto your resentment as a noble cause. Try to catch yourself when you are acting from that place, and choose forgiveness or mercy, instead. If you need inspiration, it can help to seek out stories of mercy in the world by going to the International Forgiveness Institute website: www.internationalforgiveness.com.

3. Address your inner pain

It’s important to figure out who has hurt you and how. This may seem obvious; but not every action that causes you suffering is unjust. For example, you don’t need to forgive your child or your spouse for being imperfect, even if their imperfections are inconvenient for you.

To become clearer, you can look carefully at the people in your life—your parents, siblings, peers, spouse, coworkers, children, and even yourself—and rate how much they have hurt you. Perhaps they have exercised power over you or withheld love; or maybe they have physically harmed you. These hurts have contributed to your inner pain and need to be acknowledged. Doing this will give you an idea of who needs forgiveness in your life and provide a place to start.

There are many forms of emotional pain; but the common forms are anxiety, depression, unhealthy anger, lack of trust, self-loathing or low self-esteem, an overall negative worldview, and a lack of confidence in one’s ability to change. All of these harms can be addressed by forgiveness; so it’s important to identify the kind of pain you are suffering from and to acknowledge it. The more hurt you have incurred, the more important it is to forgive, at least for the purpose of experiencing emotional healing.

You may be able to do this accounting on your own, or you may need the help of a therapist. However you approach looking at your pain be sure you do it in an environment that feels safe and supportive.

4. Develop a forgiving mind through empathy

Scientists have studied what happens in the brain when we think about forgiving and have discovered that, when people successfully imagine forgiving someone (in a hypothetical situation), they show increased activity in the neural circuits responsible for empathy. This tells us that empathy is connected to forgiveness and is an important step in the process.

If you examine some of the details in the life of the person who harmed you, you can often see more clearly what wounds he carries and start to develop empathy for him. First, try to imagine him as an innocent child, needing love and support. Did he get that from the parents? Research has shown that if an infant does not receive attention and love from primary caregivers, then he will have a weak attachment, which can damage trust. It may prevent him from ever getting close to others and set a trajectory of loneliness and conflict for the rest of his life.

You may be able to put an entire narrative together for the person who hurt you—from early child through adulthood—or just imagine it from what you know. You may be able to see her physical frailties and psychological suffering, and begin to understand the common humanity that you share. You may recognize her as a vulnerable person who was wounded and wounded you in return. Despite what she may have done to hurt you, you realize that she did not deserve to suffer, either.

Recognizing that we all carry wounds in our hearts can help open the door to forgiveness.

5. Find meaning in your suffering

When we suffer a great deal, it is important that we find meaning in what we have endured. Without seeing meaning, a person can lose a sense of purpose, which can lead to hopelessness and a despairing conclusion that there is no meaning to life itself. That doesn’t mean we look for suffering in order to grow or try to find goodness in another’s bad actions. Instead, we try to see how our suffering has changed us in a positive way.

Even as one suffers, it’s possible to develop short-term and sometimes long-range goals in life. Some people begin to think about how they can use their suffering to cope, because they’ve become more resilient or brave. They may also realize that their suffering has altered their perspective regarding what is important in life, changing their long-range goals for themselves.

To find meaning is not to diminish your pain or to say, I’ll just make the best of it or All things happen for a reason. You must always take care to address the woundedness in yourself and to recognize the injustice of the experience, or forgiveness will be shallow.

Still, there are many ways to find meaning in our suffering. Some may choose to focus more on the beauty of the world or decide to give service to others in need. Some may find meaning by speaking their truth or by strengthening their inner resolve. If I were to give one answer, it would be that we should use our suffering to become more loving and to pass that love onto others. Finding meaning, in and of itself, is helpful for finding direction in forgiveness.

6. When forgiveness is hard, call upon other strengths

Forgiveness is always hard when we are dealing with deep injustices from others. I have known people who refuse to use the word forgiveness because it just makes them so angry. That’s OK—we all have our own timelines for when we can be merciful. But if you want to forgive and are finding it hard, it might help to call upon other resources.

First remember that if you are struggling with forgiveness, that doesn’t mean you’re a failure at forgiveness. Forgiveness is a process that takes time, patience, and determination. Try not to be harsh on yourself, but be gentle and foster a sense of quiet within, an inner acceptance of yourself. Try to respond to yourself as you would to someone whom you love deeply.

Surround yourself with good and wise people who support you and who have the patience to allow you time to heal in your own way. Also, practice humility—not in the sense of putting yourself down, but in realizing that we are all capable of imperfection and suffering.

Try to develop courage and patience in yourself to help you in the journey. Also, if you practice bearing small slights against you without lashing out, you give a gift to everyone—not only to the other person, but to everyone whom that person may harm in the future because of your anger. You can help end the cycle of inflicting pain on others.

If you are still finding it hard to forgive, you can choose to practice with someone who is easier to forgive—maybe someone who hurt you in a small way, rather than deeply. Alternatively, it can be better to focus on forgiving the person who is at the root of your pain—maybe a parent who was abusive, or a spouse who betrayed you. If this initial hurt impacts other parts of your life and other relationships, it may be necessary to start there.

7. Forgive yourself

Most of us tend to be harder on ourselves than we are on others and we struggle to love ourselves. If you are not feeling lovable because of actions you’ve taken, you may need to work on self-forgiveness and offer to yourself what you offer to others who have hurt you: a sense of inherent worth, despite your actions.

In self-forgiveness, you honor yourself as a person, even if you are imperfect. If you’ve broken your personal standards in a serious way, there is a danger of sliding into self-loathing. When this happens, you may not take good care of yourself—you might overeat or oversleep or start smoking or engage in other forms of “self-punishment.” You need to recognize this and move toward self-compassion. Soften your heart toward yourself.

After you have been able to self-forgive, you will also need to engage in seeking forgiveness from others whom you’ve harmed and right the wrongs as best as you can. It’s important to be prepared for the possibility that the other person may not be ready to forgive you and to practice patience and humility. But, a sincere apology, free of conditions and expectations, will go a long way toward your receiving forgiveness in the end.

8. Develop a forgiving heart

When we overcome suffering, we gain a more mature understanding of what it means to be humble, courageous, and loving in the world. We may be moved to create an atmosphere of forgiveness in our homes and workplaces, to help others who’ve been harmed overcome their suffering, or to protect our communities from a cycle of hatred and violence. All of these choices can lighten the heart and bring joy to one’s life.

Some people may believe that love for another who’s harmed you is not possible. But, I’ve found that many people who forgive eventually find a way to open their hearts. If you shed bitterness and put love in its place, and then repeat this with many, many other people, you become freed to love more widely and deeply. This kind of transformation can create a legacy of love that will live on long after you’re gone.

About the Author

Robert Enright

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1 Forgiveness: An IntroductionBrandon Warmke, Dana Kay Nelkin, and Michael McKenna, Forgiveness In: Forgiveness and Its Moral Dimensions . Edited by: Brandon Warmke, Dana Kay Nelkin, and Michael McKenna, Oxford University Press. © Oxford University Press 2021. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190602147.003.0001

• Published: June 2021
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This chapter introduces the notion of forgiveness. It discusses the nature of forgiveness, including foundational issues such as moral wrongdoing, moral blameworthiness, and standing to forgive. It articulates several accounts of the nature of forgiveness, including emotion accounts, revenge and punishment-forbearance accounts, and performative accounts, and discusses the difference between monist and pluralist accounts. Turning to the norms of forgiveness, the chapter discusses several moral questions raised in the philosophical literature on forgiveness. The chapter concludes by summarizing and contextualizing the chapters in this volume.

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Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

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The Ethics of Forgiveness: A Collection of Essays

Christel Fricke (ed.), The Ethics of Forgiveness: A Collection of Essays , Routledge, 2011, 212pp., $125.00 (hbk), ISBN 9780415885430.

Reviewed by Linda Radzik, Texas A&M University

Christel Fricke's rich collection of essays arose from a conference held in Oslo in 2008 on Charles L. Griswold's 2007 book Forgiveness . However, very little of the text is spent critiquing Griswold's work. Instead, Fricke's authors use Griswold's text as a map that points to areas worthy of further exploration. Like Griswold, most of these writers resist the temptation to develop simple, unified accounts of forgiveness and instead dedicate themselves to plotting the complexities of human interaction in the aftermath of wrongdoing. The examples the authors use along the way range from subtle, personal failings to large-scale atrocities. While most of the contributions are works in moral theory, the volume also represents other disciplinary approaches to issues of forgiveness, including literary criticism and linguistics. The result is a satisfyingly diverse range of perspectives on the nature, justification and limits of forgiveness.

Part I includes a pair of essays dedicated to the interpretation of particular, historical traditions of forgiveness. In "Forgiveness and Forbearance in Ancient China," Christoph Harbsmeier surveys the language of forgiveness in Chinese, arguing that, "for a Chinese person to forgive, is always to forgive 'in terms of' one of the concepts outlined" (21). Harbsmeier goes on to present twenty-nine different terms in ancient and modern Chinese related to "forgiveness." To me, their differences were not as remarkable as their similarity. All seemed to portray forgiveness as a matter of letting the wrongdoer off, in some way, from the possible consequences of wrongdoing. Shù , which Harbsmeier suggests as the best translation for 'forgiveness,' involves a general sort of empathetic forbearance.

So far, the virtue of shù will seem familiar enough to contemporary Westerners. But Harbsmeier emphasizes that it must be understood in a hierarchically structured culture, where, he tells us, "egalitarianism is not in any way envisaged or aspired to at any level, practical or psychological" (13). Shù is something one shows to people below oneself on the social scale. What one owes to people above oneself is, in contrast, zhong , "doing one's moral best" (22). When those above oneself commit wrongs, then, the question of forgiveness does not really arise. Instead the question for the underling is how to continue to do his duty to his superior in this new context. Harbsmeier's analysis helps explain, for example, why in China the question "whether they forgive or do not forgive Deng Xiaoping [for the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989] has become purely academic (i.e., quite irrelevant)" (14).

Ilaria E. Ramelli's contribution on forgiveness in Christian thought argues that what is almost invariably labeled as "the Christian view" is historically inaccurate. It is commonplace for contemporary writers on the ethics of forgiveness to assert that Christianity requires its followers to forgive wrongs unconditionally , that is, to forgive whether or not their abusers have met any conditions, such as apologizing, repenting or making amends. Ramelli painstakingly reviews an impressive range of ancient sources to show that, throughout the early history of Christianity, forgiveness was always predicated on repentance. Her argument is so convincing that I was left wondering how it has come to be that most contemporary writers -- and, I would add, all my students who self-identify as Christians -- have come to see a commitment to unconditional forgiveness as central to Christianity.

Part II on "Forgiveness and Selfhood" begins with Fricke's contribution, "What We Cannot Do to Each Other: On Forgiveness and Moral Vulnerability." Fricke provides an admirable description of the normative terrain of forgiveness and specifically the interconnections between moral and social norms. Fricke anchors her discussion of forgiveness in a social, relational understanding of the nature and consequences of moral wrongdoing. Wrongdoing damages the trust that normally marks relations among victims, wrongdoers and their communities; forgiveness is one way of repairing that damage.

Fricke goes on to emphasize that, as complex selves, we relate to one another, not just as moral agents, but also as friends, partners and neighbors. This leads her to distinguish between personal forgiveness, in which personal relationships such as friendships are repaired, and moral forgiveness, in which victims come to once again see their abusers as having intrinsic moral value as human beings. She argues plausibly that one may morally forgive a wrongdoer without personally forgiving. I was less convinced by her claim that "personal forgiveness always implies moral forgiveness" because "any close personal relationship includes mutual respect of moral value or dignity" (63). Might not someone who does not value humanity as such (say, a mafia hitman) value his personal relationships (with other mafiosos)? This combination of attitudes may not be able to be held in a fully, rationally consistent way, but it seems psychologically possible. The last portion of the essay poses the question of whether wrongdoers can deserve forgiveness and victims can be morally required to forgive in either of the two senses of forgiveness; however, Fricke provides no clear answers to those questions.

The next pair of articles pursues Griswold's claim that forgiveness requires a narration of the past, one which will both acknowledge its wrongful character yet allow for the forgiver to overcome her negative attitudes toward the wrongdoer. Garry L. Hagberg and Peter Goldie each ask how this might work in cases of self-forgiveness. Both worry whether "in self-forgiveness there is not the possibility of a narrative accounting from an appropriate distanced perspective" (Goldie, 83-4). In "Self-Forgiveness and the Narrative Sense of Self," Goldie suggests that such distancing is enabled by the wrongdoer's ability to think about herself in a way that is "essentially ironic" and involves seeing one's past, wrongdoing self as, in a sense, another person (87):

This opens up the epistemic and evaluative ironic gap that is at the heart of the notion of narrative: an epistemic gap because one now knows what one did not know then; and an evaluative gap because one can now take an evaluative stance which differs from the stance that one took then (87).

Hagberg, in "Forgiveness and the Constitution of Selfhood," rejects this dyadic view of the self as phenomenologically inaccurate. Instead, he believes that self-forgiveness is enabled by "one identity seeing bi-focally, not two persons gazing from a distance upon each other" (75). Hagberg draws on literary concepts to explain his view, comparing self-forgiveness to the experience of reading fiction, wherein "we simultaneously identify with a character in fiction but also stand apart from that narratively-entwined persona" (75). For Hagberg, this narrative process is not performed by a later self that is independently distinguishable from the wrongdoing self, but is instead what constitutes the new, forgivable self. Both Goldie's and Hagberg's essays provide satisfyingly complex examples of processes of self-forgiveness. Goldie's essay is also notable for its discussion of the odd case of self-pardoning, in which one regards one's own action as involuntary on the grounds that the circumstances overstrained one's nature without actually undermining one's freedom.

Part III includes six essays that address the limits of forgiveness, that is, a variety of possible restrictions on the possibility or permissibility of forgiveness. For example, almost all theorists of forgiveness claim that forgiveness is not possible where there is no wrong. But in "Forgiveness Without Blame," Espen Gamlund defends the position that forgiveness can occur even when harm-causing is not blameworthy but rather excused or justified. Cases of agent-regret (such as the regret felt by an unlucky driver who faultlessly kills a child), disagreements over culpability between the harmed and the harm-causer, and moral dilemmas all present disruptions to peace of mind and social relations that can be solved by the sorts of interactions and changes in view that we associate with forgiveness and self-forgiveness. While critics may insist that forgiveness requires culpability by definition, Gamlund's discussion will lead many readers to find such a stipulation unsatisfying.

A major debate in the literature on forgiveness is whether forgiveness is "conditional," meaning that forgiveness is only appropriate in cases where the wrongdoer has met some sort of requirement, such as repentance or moral improvement. Jerome Neu's essay, "On Loving Our Enemies," defends the conditional view. Drawing on work by Jeffrie Murphy, Neu argues that resentment is a morally appropriate reaction to being victimized that can be set aside only for a moral reason. Also working within a conditional framework, Arne Johan Vetlesen asks whether there are cases where no moral reason could justify forgiveness and where forgiveness is, therefore, wrong. In this rather unwieldy essay, Vetlesen emphasizes the relevance of the characteristics of the wrongful acts themselves, rather than the characteristics of the agents who perform the acts, claiming that "some acts are worse, morally speaking, than any individual agent" (161).

Eve Garrard and David McNaughton, in contrast to Neu and Vetlesen, defend the position that forgiveness is unconditional by addressing objections posed by Griswold and others. The authors argue that some critics of unconditional forgiveness conflate two senses in which forgiveness can be unconditional: "(1) forgiving no matter what condition the wrongdoer is in; and (2) forgiving no matter what the reason for doing so is" (102). While defending the view that "there is sufficient reason to forgive a wrongdoer whatever his state of mind" (97), Garrard and McNaughton go on to identify reasons for extending such unmerited forgiveness. While the points made in favor of unconditional forgiveness are perhaps not novel, the skill with which the issues are explained and defended makes this essay a good candidate for course syllabuses on forgiveness.

Geoffrey Scarre strays slightly from the theme of forgiveness to look at issues of apology. In "Apologising for Historic Injustices," Scarre dives into the controversy surrounding Australia's official apology to the "Stolen Generations," which addressed the century-long practice of removing aboriginal children from their parents' care, a practice that ended only in the late 1960s or early 1970s. In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered an official apology for this history, which was met with general approval from both the aboriginal and settler populations. Scarre argues that the apology was not appropriate because the people doing the apologizing did not have "ownership" of the wrongful deeds. While he defends the legitimacy of "insider-regret," a particular form of negative reactive attitude towards one's group's historical injustices, Scarre denies that this attitude can ground the practice of apology. Debates about the nature of collective responsibility are well established in the literature and are not much advanced by the arguments to be found here. However, Scarre's essay does provide opportunity for reflection on the nature and functions of apology. Scarre's clear and straightforward account of when an apology can be given and what functions it can perform is quite narrow and so leaves the reader reflecting on what a broader concept of apology might look like.

Finally, literary scholar Jakob Lothe provides a reading of W. G. Sebald's novel Austerlitz . Sebald was a writer who was born in Germany in 1944 but who lived most of his adult life in England. His fiction and non-fiction writings have become important to current discussions of how German identity has been shaped by the memory of World War II and the Holocaust. The narrator of the novel, who, like Sebald, is a German exile of the immediate postwar generation, develops an unusual friendship with a Jewish man who survived the Holocaust as a child and is now attempting to recover the story of his parents' lives and deaths in the camps. Lothe argues that Sebald's narrative techniques reveal that the main theme of the novel is forgiveness. This claim remains puzzling for much of the essay, but by the end it becomes clear that Lothe's theme is not 'what is involved in granting forgiveness,' but instead 'what it is like to feel the need to be forgiven for the injustices of previous generations.' As such, the essay is fruitfully paired with Scarre's contribution.

Griswold, C. L., Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration , Cambridge University Press, (2007).

Murphy, J. G. and J. Hampton (eds.), Forgiveness and Mercy , Cambridge University Pres, (1988).

Murphy, J. G., Getting Even , Oxford University Press, (2003).

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Forgiveness

Introduction, general overviews.

• Historical Sources
• Forgiveness and Resentment
• Forgiveness and Other Angry Emotions
• Forgiveness and Non-angry Emotions
• Acts of Forgiveness
• The Idea of Political Forgiveness
• Mechanisms of Political Forgiveness
• Self-Forgiveness
• Feminist Approaches to Forgiveness
• Forgiveness in Continental Philosophy
• Forgiveness and Punishment
• Forgiveness and Virtue
• Forgiveness and Duty
• Forgiveness as a Moral Option
• Third-Party Forgiveness
• Paradoxes of Forgiveness
• God and Forgiveness

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Forgiveness by Paul Hughes LAST REVIEWED: 27 October 2016 LAST MODIFIED: 27 October 2016 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396577-0323

There is by now an enormous, and growing, philosophical literature on forgiveness. Since at least Downie 1965 (cited under Forgiveness and Virtue ), philosophers have produced articles, monographs, encyclopedia entries, and anthologized collections of essays on the conceptual, normative, phenomenological, and social-political nature of forgiveness. Much of this literature may be categorized as follows: General Overviews , Historical Sources , Emotions of Forgiveness , Acts of Forgiveness , Political Forgiveness , Self-Forgiveness , Feminist Approaches to Forgiveness , Forgiveness in Continental Philosophy , Forgiveness and Punishment , the Normative Status of Forgiveness , Third-Party Forgiveness , Paradoxes of Forgiveness , and God and Forgiveness . While no attempt has been made to canvass all the philosophical literature on the topic, and there is considerable overlap between the sections of this article, the following annotated citations aim to provide a guide to much of that literature.

Allers and Smit 2010 offers a collection of essays on the nature of forgiveness from various disciplinary perspectives, whereas Fricke 2011 is a good overview of historical and cultural views of forgiveness. Hughes 2014 canvasses much of the analytic philosophical literature on forgiveness since the mid-1970s, and Murphy 2001 offers a sketch of what has come to be regarded by many as the standard philosophical account of interpersonal forgiveness, derived in large part from the account of forgiveness and resentment provided in Butler 1846 (cited under Historical Sources ), the gist of which is that forgiveness involves a forgiver overcoming resentment or some other form of moral anger caused by and directed at a wrongdoer, and doing so for such morally appropriate reasons as that the wrongdoer has apologized, attempted to make amends, or repented.

Allers, Christopher R., and Marieke Smit, eds. Forgiveness in Perspective . At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries 66. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2010.

A collection of articles from a variety of disciplinary points of view, including that of philosophers, psychologists, literary theorists, prison chaplains, and others. Each of the twelve essays offers answers to such questions as what forgiveness is, how it has evolved into a secular phenomenon from its religious origins, and how it arises in such contexts as marriage and abortion, among others.

Cole, Elizabeth A. “Apology, Forgiveness, and Moral Repair.” Ethics & International Affairs 22.4 (2008): 421–428.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-7093.2008.00173.x

Reviews three monographs that discuss closely related phenomena involved in efforts to achieve moral repair in the aftermath of wrongdoing: Charles Griswold’s Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration ( Griswold 2007 , cited under Forgiveness and Resentment ), Nick Smith’s I Was Wrong: The Meanings of Apologies (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008), and Margaret Urban Walker’s Moral Repair: Reconstructing Moral Relations after Wrongdoing ( Walker 2006 , cited under Mechanisms of Political Forgiveness ). Describes how each theorizes different levels of moral repair—those between individuals, between individuals and groups, and between political collectives, and how the concepts of forgiveness, reconciliation, apology, and resentment are involved in each way of responding to wrongdoing.

Fricke, Christel, ed. The Ethics of Forgiveness: A Collection of Essays . Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory 14. New York: Routledge, 2011.

These eleven essays canvass a variety of topics related to forgiveness, including various historical and intercultural views of the nature of forgiveness, forgiveness as it relates to the self, limitations on forgiving, political apologies, and the moral norms often thought to govern forgiveness.

Hughes, Paul M. “ Forgiveness .” In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Edited by Edward N. Zalta. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 2014.

Provides a general review of the philosophical literature on forgiveness since the mid-1970s, including what has been regarded as the standard definition of interpersonal forgiveness, the ends of forgiveness, and whether interpersonal forgiveness is an action, a process, or a virtue. Also discusses whether forgiveness is obligatory or optional, whether it can be unilateral or unconditional, whether third parties can forgive, and in what sense forgiveness may be political.

McFadyen, Alistair, and Marcel Sarot, eds. Forgiveness and Truth . Explorations in Contemporary Theology. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2001.

A collection of essays on theological dimensions of forgiveness and truth, the main interest for philosophers being its useful chapter on “Forgiveness in the Twentieth Century” by Nigel Biggar (pp. 181–218), which includes a review of the forgiveness literature from 1901 to 2001, including important philosophical work on forgiveness from 1965 to 1991.

Murphy, Jeffrie G. “Forgiveness.” In Encyclopedia of Ethics . Vol. 1, A–G . Edited by Lawrence C. Becker and Charlotte B. Becker, 561–562. New York: Routledge, 2001.

Articulates the view that forgiveness is the overcoming of resentment directed by a victim of wrong at the person who wronged her, and overcoming that resentment for moral reasons. Distinguishes forgiveness from justification, excuse, and mercy.

Zaibert, Leo. “Forgiveness: An Introduction.” In Special Issue: Forgiveness . Monist 92.4 (2009): 481–487.

DOI: 10.5840/monist200992427

A clear introduction to a series of articles on the conceptual and normative dimensions of forgiveness, framed as replies to such questions as how forgiveness is related to blame, mercy, forgetting, and leniency; whether unconditional forgiveness is ever justified; and what repentance is and how it justifies forgiving wrongdoers.

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Forgiveness

Apology, Blame

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Forgiveness is the release of resentment or anger . Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation. One doesn't have to return to the same relationship or accept the same harmful behaviors from an offender.

Forgiveness is vitally important for the mental health of those who have been victimized. It propels people forward rather than keeping them emotionally engaged in an injustice or trauma . Forgiveness has been shown to elevate mood, enhance optimism , and guard against anger, stress , anxiety , and depression .

However, there are scenarios in which forgiveness is not the best course for a particular person. Sometimes a victim of sexual abuse becomes more empowered when they give themselves permission not to forgive.

• How to Forgive Others
• How to Forgive Yourself
• The Benefits of Forgiveness

Forgiveness can be challenging, especially when the offending party offers either an insincere apology or nothing at all. However, it’s often the healthiest path forward.

A prominent model, put forth by psychologist Robert Enright, delineates four steps of forgiveness. The first is to uncover your anger by exploring how you’ve avoided or addressed the emotion . The second is to make the decision to forgive. Begin by acknowledging that ignoring or coping with the offense hasn’t worked, and therefore forgiveness might provide a path forward.

Third, cultivate forgiveness by developing compassion for the offender. Reflect on whether the act was due to malicious intent or circumstances in the offender’s life. Lastly, release the harmful emotions and reflect on how you may have grown from the experience and the act of forgiveness itself.

Resentment can sometimes linger for years, even if we believe that we’ve “moved on” or “forgotten about it.” To release resentment, reflect on why the person may have committed the offense, sit with the pain, and then try to forgive the other person, because forgiveness can instill a sense of strength that overpowers bitterness. 

The decision to forgive an affair is deeply personal. A key component is for the partner who had the affair to be completely transparent and honest from that moment forward to rebuild trust in the relationship. This may involve exploring the reasons for the affair to address underlying problems and prevent infidelity in the future.

No. Everyone has the right to decide whether or not they forgive another person. There are many examples of people who have forgiven others for horrendous crimes, such as shooting them or killing their child. If forgiveness ultimately instills peace or healing, there is no action too severe for forgiveness.

No. Forgiveness and reconciliation are distinct concepts. Forgiveness is internal, and the process does not hinge on the offender offering an apology or reconciling afterward. 

Forgiving another person is one thing, but what happens when we commit the offense ourselves? It’s important to take responsibility for mistakes, but intense guilt and shame aren’t a productive outcome in the long run.

The process of self-forgiveness can be a painful challenge but deeply valuable. Key to this process is owning up to one’s mistakes, understanding why they occurred, and helping to rectify the situation.

Begin by acknowledging that you are at fault and take responsibility for the hurt you caused. Reflect on why the event occurred and identify how to avoid a similar offense in the future. Then forgive yourself by focusing on the thought, saying it aloud, or writing it down. Apologize to the person you wronged and try to improve their life in a meaningful way.

Mistakes often become attached to underlying beliefs about ourselves, such as “I always say the wrong things” or “I’ll never be able to cover my bills.” Self-forgiveness can require these beliefs to be identified and addressed first. This pitfall and others make self-forgiveness especially challenging.

If you’ve done everything you can to fix the mistake, but you continue to beat yourself up, try a technique called “self-distancing.” Switch your internal dialogue from first person to third person and consider how an outsider would see the situation. This can help cultivate self-compassion and silence your inner critic.

Forgiveness and Forgiveness Therapy have been linked to greater feelings of happiness , hopefulness, and optimism . The process of forgiveness can also protect against serious conditions such as anxiety and depression and post- traumatic stress disorder. The act was also shown to benefit cardiac patients, by significantly lowering their blood pressure.

Harboring anger and resentment leads to the body to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline whenever the person comes to mind. A steady stream of those chemicals can lead to stress and anxiety as well as dampen creativity and problem solving.

Forgiveness offers many  positive psychological developments, such as reducing unhealthy anger, repairing potentially valuable relationships, growing as a person, and exercising goodness in and of itself, no matter the response. In addition to personal benefits, modeling forgiveness for others may lead to intergenerational and even societal improvement.

Forgiveness therapy asks patients to confront injustice and emotional pain, and then work toward forgiveness to resolve unhealthy anger. This therapy, in conjunction with medication or cognitive behavioral therapy, can help treat depression.

Deconstructing the myth of "forgive and forget."

A Personal Perspective: I wanted to believe that I had control over psychotic breaks until I acknowledged that psychosis is a medical illness like any other.

All couples argue. It may surprise you to learn that arguing does not in and of itself harm your relationship — but how you argue can cause damage.

Resentment can have a corrosive effect on love. Reflection, communication, and gratitude are key to preserving it.

A Personal Perspective: Bill's early HIV diagnosis loomed large, but as death neared, the love and loyalty between us outshined the painful memories.

When someone's feelings are hurt, they can feel an urge to “do something about it,” take action, and consider enacting revenge. How can they instead arrive at forgiveness?

Children benefit from parents’ encouragement and instruction on how to offer a sincere apology to those they have hurt.

You know your love language, but do you know your apology language?

We discuss our Replication Registered Report of McCullough's empathy model of forgiveness, the need for a science reform, and registered reports in improving science credibility.

The movie "One Life" is about irrational guilt and the difficulty of forgiving oneself for something one has no control over.

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Study Today

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Essay on Forgiveness | Why it is Important in Our Life?

February 22, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

People generally return evil for evil but the noble and most effective kind of revenge is to return good for evil.

If the wrong doer is paid back in his own coin, the gulf between the two parties will widen more and a thirst for revenge will make both of them restless while if good is returned for evil the wrong doer will be filled with shame and remorse and his heart is likely to yearn for his enemy’s forgiveness.

But there are exceptions to this theory where some people cannot be moved by this noble gesture, because they do not understand the underlying nobility in it, and rather take it for weakness on the part of the opponent and become more aggressive in their efforts.

In spite of what can be discussed on the issue from various angles, it is true that forgiveness is nobler than revenge.  

History has been the witness to many such incidents where the act of forgiveness has worked wonders.

There have been many such noble men who taught people to chivalry that lies in the act of forgiveness and practiced it themselves too.  

Table of Contents

Example of forgiveness

Nelson mandela .

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela was sent to prison in 1963 on charges of trying to sabotage the nation’s government, which advocated a policy called apartheid that treated people of different races differently (Mandela advocated a democratic society in which all people would be treated equally).

Mandela spent the next twenty seven years in prison, but after he was released in 1990, he forgave the people who had imprisoned him.

Mandela later became South Africa’s president and delivered speeches internationally in which he urged people to forgive each other because forgiveness is God’s plan and therefore always the right thing to do.  

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi  was known as the father of the nation. He was the one who taught us to fight back but through a path of peace and not violence.

Revenge through forgiveness and not through violence. He said when someone slaps you in one cheek give your second cheek to him.

So that he is filled with remorse. He said never to reply violence with violence. Instead reply violence with love. This will teach the wrong doer a lesson. Gandhiji didn’t curse the person who had shot him.

Even at that moment when he was hit by bullet he didn’t utter a word of hatred. Instead he uttered “hey ram”. This shows the amount of kindness and forgiveness one has to bear in one’s heart.  

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was the epitome of forgiveness. Once there was an incident where Mother Teresa approached a wealthy shopkeeper near Kalighat area to ask for some money to help the leper that she found on the roads.

She held out her hands asking some help. The shopkeeper just spat on her hand and shooed her off.

She was asking help for others and not for herself; still she got treated in that way. She went away from there without uttering a word.

Later when she had established herself that same shopkeeper showed up and asked for forgiveness as at that time he didn’t know who she was. She forgave him immediately without a second thought.  

Jesus Christ

He is one of the biggest instance of forgivers that we ever came across. Jesus Christ not only preached forgiveness but also set an example for us to follow.

His story of forgiveness is famous worldwide. When he was taken on the cross, and being nailed to it even at that time he kept on praying for his wrong doers.

When he was left to starve he raised his head to the sky and said “father please forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”.

He forgave all of his wrong doers even though they were responsible for his tragic death. His kindness and forgiveness lead the wrong doers to rethink about their action and feel remorse.

It is at that time that they realized what a sin they have committed.  

These are a few examples of famous men and women who have created instances for centuries to follow.

What they have achieved at that age to hard to achieve but we can always try to better ourselves keeping them in mind and making them our ideal role models.  

But there has been some instance where a person didn’t understand the meaning of forgiveness and took it to be a sign of weakness of his opponent.

In that case he became more aggressive and more persistent in his efforts. And this ultimately leads to his downfall. Such people are shame on the society.

They lack the basic humanity. That is the reason why they fail to recognize an act of forgiveness.  

History has been witness of such people as well for example  – Adolf Hitler .

Adolf Hitler was the most hated person every in history. He was responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent lives. People didn’t revolt against his power.

He took it for granted. He kept on living Jews as much as he could. There was no end to his torture. He kept on thinking the common people to be weak and kept on exercising his wrong deeds.

The more lives he slaughtered the more daring and sinful he became. But what was the result? Ultimately it leads to his downfall. He couldn’t survive.

One day or other you have to fall when you are overburdened by your wrong deeds. His major downfall was such that he had to shoot himself by his own hands.   

Such terrible are stories of people who have ignored the acts of forgiveness shown to them and have continued in their rampant brustalistic approaches with hatred and sin.  

Conclusion  

A true act of forgiveness has never excited violence or hatred in return. It has always returned love and remorse in the part of the wrong doer.

We can correct the wrongs and change the wrong doer for life by such a virtue.

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Essay Samples on Forgiveness

Reasons to be hardworking, forgiving, honest and trustworthy.

Being forgiving is a difficult trait to have especially if someone damaged one badly. The time when the person I trusted the most in the world, my best friend stole from my family and stabbed me in the back, it taught me that in order...

• Forgiveness

Unforgiveness Steals Away Your Joy, Peace, and Happiness

Forgiveness is one of the topics most Christians don't like to talk about especially if they were truly hurt by someone close to their heart. Sometimes, we feel it is better to carry the burden of hatred rather than forgive those that have wronged us....

• Christian Worldview

Analysis of the Article Intellectual Humility and Forgiveness of Religious Conflict

The article, “Intellectual Humility and Forgiveness of Religious Conflict.’, discusses a study regarding religious conflict. One of the authors begins by giving a detailed synopsis of what their experience was a undergraduate in religious studies. They often found themselves in conversations with people of other...

• Religious Conflict

Gratitude and the Act of Giving on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a day that shows people we love, values love, relationships and reading. Valentine's Day is a day to show people who care about our important words and actions. mean something! We all know that Valentine's Day is a day to exchange cards...

• Valentines Day

The Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne Deserved and Earned Forgiveness

Have you ever made a terrible mistake and no matter how much you tried to fix it you can’t stop getting it from following you in life? In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathainel Hawthrone the main character Hester Prynne knows how you feel....

• Hester Prynne
• The Scarlet Letter

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Enright's Four Stages of Forgiveness: Personal Account

Forgiveness is a coin with two sides. One including those who practice forgiveness in conjunction with someone who has wronged them, and conversely, the other side holds those who wish to have forgiveness bestowed upon them by the wronged party. Ideally, forgiveness is the work...

Ritualized Forgiveness and Confession in Christianity

Forgiveness is a biblical mandate from the New Testament that many Christians engage in as a part of their faith. Various scriptures reflect forgiveness as a part of Christian teachings and theology, as is it enshrined in the Lord’s prayer – forgive us our debts...

• Biblical Worldview

The Freeing Nature of Genuine Forgiveness

“I don’t like you, okay?” She shot back at Lance on the phone. “I don’t date men anymore. Men are a waste of precious time!” The words stung him. He told her good night and never called back again. Cara was angry and bitter. She...

• Personal Life

The People Who Shaped My Story

There are only a very few people in your life who, out and out, fit in as the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle and complete your story. I 'm humbled by the very fact that I have known some. Those who have loved me...

• Life Changing Experience

Best topics on Forgiveness

1. Reasons to Be Hardworking, Forgiving, Honest and Trustworthy

2. Unforgiveness Steals Away Your Joy, Peace, and Happiness

3. Analysis of the Article Intellectual Humility and Forgiveness of Religious Conflict

4. Gratitude and the Act of Giving on Valentine’s Day

5. The Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne Deserved and Earned Forgiveness

6. Enright’s Four Stages of Forgiveness: Personal Account

7. Ritualized Forgiveness and Confession in Christianity

8. The Freeing Nature of Genuine Forgiveness

9. The People Who Shaped My Story

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Forgiveness — Forgiveness and How It Is Important In Life

Forgiveness and How It is Important in Life

• Categories: Forgiveness Mercy

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Published: Mar 17, 2023

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Related Essays on Forgiveness

Cosgrove, Lisa, and Mark Konstam. “Forgiveness: A New Paradigm for Healing and Growing.” Behavioral Medicine, vol. 34, no. 3, 2008, pp. 107-115.Mayo Clinic Staff. “Forgiveness: Letting Go of Grudges and Bitterness.” Mayo Clinic, [...]

Enright, Robert D., et al. 'The Forgiving Life: Acceptance, Hope, and Resilience.' American Psychological Association, 2012.Clinton, Timothy E., Hart, Archibald D., & Ohlschlager, George. 'Caring for People God's Way: Personal [...]

North, Lisa S., and Daryl R. Van Tongeren. 'Forgiveness and Health: A Review and Theoretical Exploration of the Field.' Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, vol. 10, no. 2, 2018, pp. 141-152.Enright, Robert D., et al. 'The [...]

Forgiveness is a complex and deeply personal process that often involves confronting painful experiences and reconciling with those who have caused us harm. In the context of familial relationships, forgiving a parent can be [...]

Braithwaite, J. (1990). Reintegrative shaming and restitution. In M. Tonry & N. Morris (Eds.), Crime and justice: An annual review of research, (Vol. 12, pp. 1-41). University of Chicago Press.Enright, R. D. (2015). Forgiveness [...]

In every relationship, there will be situations where one individual will do something that another regards as offensive or insensitive to their feelings. When this occurs, the response is predictable. For many individuals, [...]

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Forgiveness Essay Example: Short Essay About Forgiveness

• Author Writer

Forgiveness

We are told that forgiveness is personal. If forgiveness is personal, why is it shared with the public? People ask for forgiveness. They demand forgiveness. If forgiveness is personal and should be done for my own reasoning, then you don't need it and you don't get to ask for it. The fact that you are seeking it explains or tells me that it's a tool that benefits you, and not me. We are told that forgiveness and anger aren't mutual and that a person has the ability to be angry and still be able to forgive someone. I don't know what definition of "forgiveness" people are using for that one, but I believe forgiveness is anger toward something that demands change, even though forgiveness is defined as accepting things as they are.

All around the world, there are religions that include the teachings on the nature of forgiveness, and a lot of these teachings can provide an underlying base for a variety of modern-day traditions and practices of forgiveness. Some religious philosophies emphasize the need for humans to find some kind of divine forgiveness for their own shortcomings, others places can greatly emphasize the need for humans to forgive one another, yet others can make little or no distinction when it comes between humans and divine forgiveness.

We’ve all suffered in life, it’s true. People keep saying forgive and forget, and yet we remember! The thought of forgetting about the wrongs and mistakes everyone faced seems offensive. How could "forgetting” help? And how is it even possible? Past wounds can't be removed from our memory, and even if we forget about past wounds, how are we to avoid the same situations again? A common phrase that comes to mind in such situations is, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”.

Forgiveness is a decision of the will. Because God commands us to forgive, we must make a choice to obey God and forgive. The offender may not wish forgiveness and that may never change, but that doesn't change God's desire that we possess a forgiving spirit (Matthew 5:44). Ideally, the person who offended you will seek reconciliation, but, if not, the wronged one can still make a decision to forgive.

In conclusion, it takes effort to understand and empathize with someone who has hurt you but always try to think positive. Try to think of a small gift you could offer this person. The gift might be a smile, a good handshake, returning a phone call, or simply higher tolerance the next time you are with this person. Always keep in mind, that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same.

References:

Hembree, Diana. "High Anxiety As First Student Loan Forgiveness Program 'Graduates' Await Relief This October." Forbes, Sep. 2017

Friedman, Zack. "How To Apply For Student Loan Forgiveness Starting Right Now." Forbes, Sep. 2017, Accessed 04 Dec. 2020.

Friedman, Zack. "Is Student Loan Forgiveness Worth It?" Forbes, Jul. 2018, Accessed 04

Chang, Julia. "Finally, Some Good News About Student Loan Forgiveness." Forbes, Apr. 2018, Accessed 04 Dec. 2020.

Friedman, Zack. "How To Ace Public Service Loan Forgiveness." Forbes, Feb. 2017, Accessed 04 Dec. 2020.

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