Writer in the Woods

Count the enemies you have. Think of those you despise. What have they done? What have they said? They could be rivals: at work, in romantic pursuit, or in sports. They could be friends that you’ve had a falling out with. They could even be family members that have hurt you a thousand times over. Many of us have those “enemies” in our lives. But I am here to tell you, my friends, that they are not your “enemies”. Trust me, I have had “enemies” who I declared as such (most without their knowledge). As years passed without any contact with those people, I realized that they pose no threat to my lively hood because they never did. No, the people that I proclaimed–that we proclaim as our “enemies”– are not so. It is our grudges toward them that are the enemy.

We have been taught to “forgive and forget”. If we do not, we remain slaves to our grudges. It eats at us. Grudges are the throbbing headaches in the back of our minds. We become sickly, obsessed, and paranoid because of it. It is through forgiveness, however, that we can break the chains of hate. But remember my friends, saying “I forgive you” will be nothing without the love in our hearts.

If we forgive, we must do so with our hearts, not just with words. If we say the phrase without love, then it becomes a lie; not only to them, but also to ourselves. I challenge us, my friends, to let go of our grudge(s), no matter the slight. Reflect on what they have done to you and what you have done to them. And then ask yourself: “Are they keeping the wound open, or am I?”