27 February 2012

Season of Nonviolence - Day 29

Welcome to Day 29 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.



Day 29: FORGIVENESS

When we forgive, we do not condone hurtful behavior.  When we realize that there is something within us that is more important than this hurtful experience, we are free to let go of the past and move on with our lives.  In doing so, we open our hearts to the humanity of those we forgive.

As we forgive others, we are teaching the mind to respond with forgiveness everywhere, even to the misdeeds and mistakes of our own past.  And if I have treated a particular person badly, even if I can no longer win that person's forgiveness, I can still win the forgiveness of myself. 
 "The results of forgiveness is the stopping of the recycling of anger within ourselves and in the world. Peace will come to the world when each of us takes the responsibility of forgiving everyone, including ourselves, completely." ~ Gerald Jampolsky
 
Today:  I am willing to let go of the past, and forgive those who have hurt me, and towards whom I feel anger. I will forgive myself too.  Today, I will write a letter of forgiveness to someone (I do not have to mail it). 

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