Let us ponder that for a brief moment.
Mercy is when forgiveness is given to someone/something that does not deserve it. We could treat them harshly, but because of the mercy we hold in our hearts, we choose not to. We choose to let them off of the hook. We choose to not punish our trespassers.
Forgiveness and mercy are two very hard and complicated concepts. From small children, aging seniors and everything in between, we have all held a grudge now and then. In some cases, holding a grudge can be healthy. If someone in your life is causing you constant worry and headache, it would seem rational to keep your distance and acknowledge the conflict that said person is causing in your life. I am not against holding grudges as long as there can be a time of admitting personal failures and, yes, forgiveness. If a grudge prolongs enough that it interferes with your mental, social and psychological health, that is when you may need to do some self-analyzing.
In general, showing someone mercy after they have done you wrong is hard. We all have to learn the skill, myself included. We should look to the fisherman in "The Fisherman and the Jinnee" for inspiration and guidance if we have trouble doing so. It is not easy, but I think it makes us stronger people - accepting those who wrong us.
I agree with you Hilda . I also believe that in order to have mercy you have to have understanding and maturity.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you here Hilda! Letting go of grudges can be hard sometimes because you are deeply hurt. You want to forgive but you gave that person your full trust and love and they basically broke you. After a while you need some kind of closure though. You can't keep living with that heartache forever. You still need to sit down with the person and discuss how you feel so you could finally move on...
ReplyDeleteHilda this is great! A Thousand and One Nights is by far the best piece of Literature I've read. I think the concept of forgiving and having mercy is very difficult to do. Your connection to holding grudges is so true. 1001 Nights really helped me look at things in a different aspect.
ReplyDeleteI agree Hilda, holding grudges can definitely prevent am individual from moving on with their lives. I enjoy your connection to 1001 nights because had the jinnee showed the fisherman mercy, the jinnee's life would've had a different outcome!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hilda completely! Being that I've been in situations where I've held a grudge towards another person , finding forgiveness can be hard. With mercy finding that forgiveness can be much easier
ReplyDeleteI really like this blog Hilda but I have to say that I do disagree . I do not think mercy has to do with forgiveness at all times. Sometimes mercy is just withholding consequences of another's actions. If someone hurts you and you chose not to allow their punishment to happen then you are being merciful but you aren't forgiving them. In conclusion I think that mercy is a personal thing and it varies per person.
ReplyDeleteWow. I never really thought about it like that, Alyssa, but that is very true. Mercy does not always equate to forgiveness, but it's very easy to confuse the two. Mercy may not be forgiveness entirely, but I think it is a component. Thanks for that input.
Delete