Re: (article) Forgive and forget

[Guest guest]

Learning how to let go of hate and forgive is definitely important. But one thing I've seen a lot of people misunderstand is that forgiving someone does not mean you forgo learning from the experience. Forgiveness doesn't require you to open yourself up to the same harm all over again. 

For example, I have a pair of friends who are always late to events. This has lead to awkwardness and upset in the past. I've since forgiven the upset and let go of any anger, but I don't place myself in a position where I must depend on them to be on time. 

Forgiving lets you move on. If you truly forget it, like it never happened, then you put yourself at risk again. You have to use judgement though. Some things are worth forgetting, if they aren't likely to ever happen again--an accident or a thoughtless moment whose lesson was learned.