Forgiveness

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This week I have been focusing on trying to build relationships. I don't have a lot of close friends right now, and so I am trying to cultivate old relationships and build new ones. One thing I have realized as I have done this is that relationships require a lot of forgiveness on both sides. As imperfect people we hurt each other with varying degrees of severity every day. It is impossible to avoid, and the closer and more vulnerable we are with the person, the more we can hurt them and be hurt. As I was thinking about this, I realized that forgiveness is simply accepting the complexity of a human being. Forgiveness is the process of realizing that people are more than what they did to us, and giving them a chance to be better. This doesn't necessarily mean letting them back into our lives, though. It could simply mean not talking bad about them to a bunch of people, and letting go of the desire to get back at them.  It is allowing them to be imperfect just like we all need permission to be, and giving them the benefit of the doubt. I'd rather be caught thinking that someone is better than they are, rather than being caught thinking they are worse.

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