Only strong people know the benefits of forgiving someone

There is perhaps no one in this world who never gets enraged. However, anger takes a devastating form when it becomes a grudge. People remain infuriated for years over the ill-feeling of being wronged, lied, cheated or insulted and develop unhealthy thoughts of revenge. Remember what Buddha said: “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger”. Or Confucius: “When anger rises, think of the consequences”.

Those who get into a brawl over trivial issues manifest nothing but their inner weakness, which often results in a serious problem. Those who remain calm minimise the possibility of troubles. Ignore and forget the small conflicts instead of brooding over them, as they suppress your happiness. If I ever have such an illfeeling, I remind myself of two things. First, it is not someone that has disappointed you; it’s you who trusted him or her. It’s your mistake that you gave them a chance to disappoint you. Note that the first time someone fools you, it might be their mistake. But if again the same thing happens, then it’s your mistake because you ought to have been careful after the first incident.

Second, I have resolved never to regret over things that won’t matter in the future. In this way, I first console myself that it’s my mistake and then forget it.

If you can’t forget the things, forgive and remind yourself that those thoughts don’t control you. Forgiveness has a great healing power. By forgiving, you don’t give something to the other person but you bestow on yourself the treasure of tranquillity. Think of people not as an object of hatred but as a lesson for referring to in the future. By doing so, the displeasure will eventually fade away.

Gandhi rightly said: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”