Forgiveness is one of the positive character traits often associated with having wisdom. To forgive means: "Stop feeling angry or resentful towards (someone) for a crime, defect or mistake."
When people are ruthless, they dole out punishments instead of giving others a chance to learn or grow. Forgiveness is closely related to the idea of 'faith' because it often involves having faith that another who has committed a defect or has made a mistake is able to redeem himself.
Therefore, forgiveness is also commonly associated with humility, as it shows a person's ability to put their ego or pride in second place to move forward without baggage.
How could forgiveness help your children?
In stories, forgiveness is often a trait associated with kindness and mercy. Being lenient means that a person can:
- Maintaining relationships despite disagreements: when others offend, he does not skip to punish them or remove them from life. Forgiveness is the foundation of opportunity.
- Get unexpected rewards for 'being the greatest person': tales of faith and folk tales are full of instances in which characters reap unexpected rewards for the judicious and careful use of their power to punish.
Forgiveness allows a person to see and understand other characters from a more complex and open point of view. Rather than classifying people into heroes and villains, the indulgent character sees constructive and destructive story patterns and choices that shape people's actions.
Therefore, forgiveness must be taught to children from infancy, with parents being the best example of forgiveness, leaving pride aside. Forgiveness is not about forgiving only the other, but about learning to live with a clear conscience.