-Mohandas Gandhi
The world can be a very unfriendly place. Not everyone has good intentions at heart and not everyone wants to do “good.” On the contrary, there are many good people who make a mistake every now and then. That person is not a bad person, it is just part of our human nature. An ugly aspect of the human race is the act of revenge. Revenge occurs because of the inability to forgive. We, as humans, often lack the virtue of forgiveness. Revenge is just as bad as the original offense. If we can’t forgive, we will be forever fighting with each other. I think this is exactly what Mohandas Gandhi was trying to say when he made the statement quoted above. Not everyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. If we can’t accept that everyone makes mistakes then we will all be “blind.” What this means is that if everyone was to receive the same punishment as the action they committed (an eye for an eye), than everyone would be getting punished because we all make mistakes. If the world were like this, people would be constantly getting punished several times a day. Gandhi trying to make us aware that forgiveness is such a crucial aspect to love and peace. All people should learn to forgive. I can relate to this quote. Every day people treat me unjustly in such a way that I want revenge (an eye for an eye). Sometimes I give in, but most of the time I rationalize and forgive. Forgiveness is not always ‘I forgive you.’ It is different in every situation, but in the end, forgiveness feels much better than revenge. Revenge is just as bad as the original offense. If we can’t forgive, we will be forever fighting with each other. Not everyone is perfect. If we can’t accept that everyone makes mistakes then we will all be “blind.” If peace is what we want, then we, as a worldwide community absolutely must learn to forgive.
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