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Forgive and Forget.



Forgive or  Forget?

All of us are hurt, injured, or harmed by others in some way.  The teachings of some religions are to forgive your transgressor and move on.  If you can do this you’re lucky.  Many cannot, no matter how much hard they try. 

The best alternative is to forget.  This is not easy if you are the type who dwells on the injury.  The best method is to forget by subjugation.  This means don’t dwell, but rather keep engaged in living, continually filling your mind with new “stuff.”  By and by, the injury slides to the back-burner, and then, hopefully, off the stove. 

Forgive?  Forget? Two pathways toward peace of mind.  The third pathway of vengeance or pay-back is another, though usually not the wisest choice. 

Trick question: Can you forgive but never forget?  Well, yes and no.  We better get the psychologist, clergyman, or counselor in on this one.

Our court systems offer all three.  Payback to the criminal is prison or a fine.  Then, you are theoretically forgiven. If then, your record is expurgated, the transgression is forgotten. If the record is not expurgated, this effectively is a societal form of vengeance-for-life, and this constitutes a life sentence against prosperity. I recommend some form of expurgation for most crimes, misdeamenors and felonies, though not all.

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