To Forgive and to Forget.

To Forgive and to Forget.

            Although sometimes we tie these words together, they have very different meanings. Many arguments are caused because each one of us is unique and we have different ideas on different topics. What may seem natural for one, can offend someone else. When someone really close to us, hurts us, is very difficult to forgive them, but is even harder to forget, and we shouldn’t. We have to learn from it.

“Forget what hurt you in the past, but never forget what it taught you.” This phrase has stuck with me from the moment I read it. There is much truth to it. After all, we gain nothing from remembering a saddening event from our past. We should learn from it, embrace it and move on. Move on, if we don’t, we’ll end up living in a negative loop harming ourselves and the people we love most.

            A lot of people have dealt with this subject and each find a different answer. In the Bible Jesus says, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her.”. We all make mistakes, its human, but we expect to be forgiven. None of us are perfect, and just as we appreciate to be forgiven, we should likewise, forgive those who have made mistakes. Forgiving is also the way to receive God’s forgiveness for our sins. It has also been proven that forgiving those who have hurt us can help improve one’s health and increase happiness.

            As you mention in the text, in some occasions, it’s important not to forget the past so in the future, the generations to come, can learn from the mistakes some made. The clearest example of this, is the holocaust. Remembering this horrific event and teaching it to young generations is the only way of preventing it from happening again.

             Forgetting, is also a way to show yourself that you are evolving and moving on. We need to forget the things that made us sad, so we can appreciate what’s in front of us and look forward to what’s still to come.  From personal experience, I’m aware that forgetting about something that hurt you, may seem at first really hard, but the sooner we set ourselves to wash away that memory, the sooner will be on our feet ready to face new difficulties.

            “The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest, and the first to forget is the happiest.”