Avoiding the Trap

The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget. - Thomas Szasz



Wise words. Forgiveness isn't easy for many people in the world. I happen not to be one of those people. Forgiveness comes easily to me ... now, trust, that's a completely different story. Forgiveness is so vitally important in life. It we do not forgive then no forward progress can be made. Sometimes I think I forgive too easily and then fall into the trap of forgetting. Remembering the wrong is just as important as forgiving it. If we forget and just wipe it from our memory, have we learned or grown from the situation?

I forgive, but I can not forget because I have changed as a result of the wrong ... I am wiser and stronger than before and know what to do when a similar situation appears in the future. It's a fine line, though, between remembering and harboring. Remembering is a must but harboring negates ones ability to actually forgive and that's the trap I want to avoid. I have a feeling that this is one of those balances that takes ones entire lifetime to figure out.