Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom from "Les Miserables"

Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God

Don't be put off my the perceived religious overtones of the stanza that I've chosen from the Finale of Les Miserables. Never thought that God must refer to the Christian God anyway. I believe each and every person has an idea of who s/he believes is God, even if s/he is an aetheist or a free thinker.

However, I thought the idea of "to forgive is divine" is succinctly captured in the stanza.

I've always found it hard to forgive. Forgiveness is not something that the ordinary masses are capable of. It seems to be a quality or an attribute of the enlightened, the saints, and the gods. Mortal (wo)men do not forgiven easily.

To await amnesia is easier than to seek forgiveness. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet died for a feud which neither family really remembered, I bet. (Though this is hypothetical, literature is still a reflection of real life.) Any doubters should just look at the Shi'as, the Sunnis and the Kurds to see current examples.

To await dystrophy is easier than to seek forgiveness. China never forgave Taiwan for breaking off; it wants Taiwan back. It won't let Taiwan gain any independence. If needed, it'll even resort to war and risk co-destruction. Perhaps it's more palatable to have two broken states than one renegade one. China is even threatening to cut off ties with any country that recognizes Taiwan.

To seek forgiveness is tantamount to a terrible loss of "face", which is unacceptable in Asian societies. Therefore, to die is easier than to seek forgiveness. How many Japanese have preferred to commit hara-kiri (suicide by cutting the stomach using a samurai sword) than to face the consequences of their actions and then seek forgiveness?

So, have I learnt to forgive? I am still learning. I'm no great sage or saint. But I have managed to tame the fury and accept apologies for wrongdoing. Forgiveness does not come that easily for me still. I still rely on amnesia to help me. I forget things more easily now. But for true forgiveness, I'm still some way off.

But I've got to start somewhere.