And, for the record, I don’t understand men, either. The reasons why people do the things they do baffle me…and that’s in the best of circumstances! When a person lashes out (physically or verbally) and hurts another, then I’m totally befuddled.
Who in their right mind, living a happy and fulfilling life, would intentionally hurt another person?
Who indeed! For all the speculating we do about why someone acts the way they do – their vile motives, their under-handed plans, their hidden agendas – we really don’t know what they were thinking.
Few, if any, people are happy and healthy when they hurt another person. So, when an offense occurs, the logical default assumption is that the offender is not healthy…not in their right mind. This being the case, we can choose to help heal the situation by seeking understanding, not prolonging the pain by seeking revenge.
Forgiveness, in a nutshell, is understanding and acceptance. Practicing forgiveness involves connecting with people and understanding their joys and pains. Gratitude, Kindness, and Generosity (the Fundamentals of Forgiveness) involve us in each other’s worlds, developing empathy and compassion for specific individuals and for the human condition.
Let’s try understanding. Practice forgiveness.
Quote
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed. Dalai Lama
Web
Report on talk by Dalai Lama in 2009. It gives glimpse of his teaching and his humanness (read now)
Who indeed! For all the speculating we do about why someone acts the way they do – their vile motives, their under-handed plans, their hidden agendas – we really don’t know what they were thinking.
Few, if any, people are happy and healthy when they hurt another person. So, when an offense occurs, the logical default assumption is that the offender is not healthy…not in their right mind. This being the case, we can choose to help heal the situation by seeking understanding, not prolonging the pain by seeking revenge.
Forgiveness, in a nutshell, is understanding and acceptance. Practicing forgiveness involves connecting with people and understanding their joys and pains. Gratitude, Kindness, and Generosity (the Fundamentals of Forgiveness) involve us in each other’s worlds, developing empathy and compassion for specific individuals and for the human condition.
Let’s try understanding. Practice forgiveness.
Quote
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed. Dalai Lama
Web
Report on talk by Dalai Lama in 2009. It gives glimpse of his teaching and his humanness (read now)
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