New Life #325 – Forgiveness

New Life #325 – Forgiveness
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi and Yael Leshed-Harel

Summary

How is the desire for pleasure connected to vulnerability in us and a desire for revenge, how can we learn to be immune from vulnerability, and is it possible to forgive everything?

Our natural aspiration is for pleasure. We invest energy in attaining what is desirable in our eyes.

Imagine a situation in which I worked hard to buy a suit, and someone throws a few negative words about how I look…I am very hurt. Now, if he will not compensate me on all the damage that he has caused, I will want to take revenge on him.

Forgiveness is when you feel that the chasm that is gaping between you has closed and you have no urge to harm that person. If I hurt someone, and I want him to forgive me, it is up to me to come and do all kinds of good things for him. If someone hurts me, sometimes it is worthwhile to try to forget, so I won’t destroy my health. If you hurt someone in the past, and you want to reach love with him, say directly that you want to appease him. Ask him how you can fill the void from the harm that you caused him.

In a society whose goal is to achieve love of others, I need to say that everyone has been corrected except for me. I want to be like the general force of nature that is completely love and giving, so I make peace with everyone.

“Delighting in Mercy”: The one thing that is important to me is to benefit others, and then nobody can harm me. “Delighting in Mercy” is a state in which we balance our ego, meaning we direct it towards the good of others. “Delighting in Mercy” is caring that things are good for everyone. It is aware of human nature and relates to everyone with understanding.

When we are talking about the ego, this refers to a desire to benefit myself at the expense of others. Our egoism ultimately brings us to unpleasant situations, we harm ourselves.

Identify with the pain of the injured person, explain to him that the offending acts are from the ego, and that it is necessary to correct it.
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From KabTV’s “New Life #325 – Values in our Lives: Forgiveness,” 3/23/14

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