Mahatma Gandhi once stated that if everyone took and eye for an eye with respect to revenge, the world would be blind. On forgiveness, Gandhi understood that forgiveness is a quality that enhances the forgiver, one that takes courage and strength to achieve. For forgiveness is giving up the right to harm others who have harmed you. As Gandhi said about forgiveness, ôThe weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strongö (Mahatma 2004, 1). Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong, because it is human nature to want to strike back when hurt. However, when one strikes back against those who hurt, one undermines the self and becomes the same kind of individual as those who hurt.
When someone hurts us or someone we care about, it is a quite natural human tendency to seek vengeance. This is particularly true when those who hurt have done so in an extreme manner, such as killing a loved one or violently assaulting us or someone we care about. However, there is little peace that comes from acting out such vengeance. If one cannot forgive, one is condemned to carry with them a variety of negative emotions and feelings that undermine the positive and health self. If one is attacked and is angry over the kind of person who attacks for no reason, one only becomes like that person if one is intent on striking back. Such behavior demeans one to the point where he or she becomes like the person who they cannot forgive for their behavior. This causes the victim of another person to be filled with hate, bitterness, and violence in their heart towards another. However, when one can rise above the small behavior of another and forgive, one remains a better and stronger person for it. This is because one not only prevents negative emotions and feelings from controlling their behavior, but they also gain a measure of strength from being the more loving and stronger individual.
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