Forgiveness

What value does forgiveness of other people have for a person? I know people can also find detriments, but I am interested in what positive effects it can have on you inside to forgive someone. Yes, I am aware there are two sides to the coin, but I do not necessarily want the discussion to go too deep into personal depressions, if you know what I mean.

Discussion is expanded to include self-forgiveness as well. - as of October 10th, 2005

Its not just enough to forgive others you have to be able to forgive yourself first. Once your then happy with yourself its quite easy, and natural, to want for others to be happy too.

i like to think of myself as a forgiving person. some good things i get from it, i smile every now and then for no real reason, people like me more, poeple forgive me more. thats all off the top of my head, i think of some more while they are happening and let you know.

heyjme1- i think he wanted to know the good effects, not how to get them.

The effect is happiness

I've been working on forgiving people lately. There are these two people I really hate who hurt me so profoundly and for years I wanted revenge. I felt so much anger and hatred towards them and I suffered because of it. I learned to forgive one of them, but, after the anger and frustrations melts away, you realize that all that's left is sadness. The pain from hating someone goes away, but the pain that they inflicted on you never will.

Forgiveness and the ability to forgive is a blessing. It is a blessing in that it makes you feel better and yes also the people around you better and happier. HOWEVER!! It can be seen also as a curse. What I mean is that sometimes it'snot best to forgive. Sometimes a lesson must be learned. Blind forgiveness is what I mean. Forgiving someone of something when they wronged you but do not understand why it hurt you and will then probably do it again. So I guess, the ability to control your forgiveness to your own personal agenda is best. Jesus' agenda was being perfect. I mean that in a totally scientific non-offensive way. The perfect human would never harm another would only help would see the perfection in everyone and love everything about everything. But not everyone thinks the same way as Jesus did. Some think that getting a fatter bank account is the true way to happiness so they should not always forgive for this will harm their personal journey of life. Understand what I mean?

heyjme1, there is wisdom in your words!
awakendwraith, you seem to speak out of your raw feelings, which is helpful in a discussion such as this. It also sounds as though you are saying that, by forgiving others, you feel less judged yourself. I myself have experienced similar occurrences. Why causes this involuntary result? Anyone?

takemeseriously, the pain you speak of sounds pretty deep, so I won't pry, but it does make me think that forgiveness has to be a two way street...
But what if your purpose is to be happy within yourself? It may be that heyjme1 said it best when he referred to forgiving yourself...
I would like to open up the discussion to include the benefits of personal forgiveness as well as forgiving others.