Dr. Bob's minions tire away endlessly to help the good Doctor in the name of science,
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Forgiving Ramble

By Critch

The ability to forgive and forget is a powerful one, especially as one grows older. There are a lot of great injustices that happen in the world. People are bad to each other, which is probably a remnant of our origins as animals that whether by design or by accident happened to evolve to large brained creatures with opposable thumbs. So much of what we do is almost directly descended from animal interactions with each other that, at least in some small fraction, benefits ourselves whether or not it benefits the other person. Sometimes people accidentally slight another, sometimes it is very intentional. But it is unique to the human condition that we are able to rise above the things that are done to us and forgive those that trespass against us.

The example I always refer to instead of giving any personal anecdotes is from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I'm not a religious man by any means, but while on the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson in an episode that Ferguson ended up winning an award for a few years ago, he spoke about a group of Jewish people that were imprisoned during the holocaust. They were of course horribly treated by the Nazis and some of them were permanently disfigured. They thankfully were not killed and survived, and several years later were invited to meet with their former and now reformed captors. The results of this meeting were unexpected. Instead of harboring resentment or hatred towards them, the former jailed forgave their captors, and the reason given is because that that resentment and hatred does nothing positive to the person holding on to it. It promotes bitterness and disgust and can harden a heart, turning it not just against the people that it was directed to but also to others, creating a shell of a person. By forgiving their captors, the Jewish people were able to let go of their negative feelings and through that they were able to move on with their lives. Now considering what they were able to let go of, it puts into perspective what comparatively trivial things that we have to deal with today and hold grudges for.

I'm definitely not saying that it's easy to do, and I'm not saying that forgiveness should mean instant trust of the group or individuals that have visited injustice upon you. What I'm trying to say in this poor ramble is that the ability to forgive is one of our advantages as a species and is one that can work to improve your life and interactions even with those that you have to interact with regardless of if you want to or not, and could conceivably open a door towards better things though those that you would have burned bridges with. It is a lesson I have tried to make myself remember many times, and the times I have been successful have changed my life positively.

Not exactly the video game discussions I've posted here, but it's something of a more important nature. I have provided the interview with the Archbishop for your watching pleasure.