Earlier this week, I was looking out the window and saw something familiar yet enlightening. When I looked through the window, I saw the people outside. However, when I looked upon the glass of the window, I saw my own reflection.
Forgiveness centers on the understanding that when we look out at others, we see them through the filter of our own reflection.
Forgiveness centers on the understanding that when we look out at others, we see them through the filter of our own reflection.
Richard Rohr calls forgiveness “becoming intentional about recognizing and embracing our shadows...pivotal and central on the path of transformation.” The shadows is not a negative place, rather it is the place of our unconscious, that of our true self that is hidden from us. He reminds us that the things that annoy us most about others are doorways into understanding ourselves. He goes on to say,
“It is a political, social, and spiritual task to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others.”
One great, daily discipline is to not just hold our judgment but also to learn from our judging inclinations. To stop gazing through the glass and draw our focus back to understand how we see the other through the reflection of ourselves.
Practicing the Fundamentals of Forgiveness helps with this: being grateful for every experience, kind to all we meet, and generous with our time.
With this self-reflective lens, we can be grateful for others and how they irritate us (and teach us). We can forgive them, be kind to them, and embrace our own shadows. We can be generous with our time, listening to them, supporting them and learning about ourselves at the same time.
Quote
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. Anais Nin
Web
Here’s a recent account of seeing another person as human rather than enemy (read now)
“It is a political, social, and spiritual task to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others.”
One great, daily discipline is to not just hold our judgment but also to learn from our judging inclinations. To stop gazing through the glass and draw our focus back to understand how we see the other through the reflection of ourselves.
Practicing the Fundamentals of Forgiveness helps with this: being grateful for every experience, kind to all we meet, and generous with our time.
With this self-reflective lens, we can be grateful for others and how they irritate us (and teach us). We can forgive them, be kind to them, and embrace our own shadows. We can be generous with our time, listening to them, supporting them and learning about ourselves at the same time.
Quote
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. Anais Nin
Web
Here’s a recent account of seeing another person as human rather than enemy (read now)
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