It is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive, forgive everybody. – Maya Angelou
When we recently celebrated (October 7, 2022) National Forgiveness & Happiness Day, it is important to know why it is the most important virtue. Forgiveness = Happiness is the formula. If you want to be happy, forgive those who have done any hurt/ harm to you. Believe me, there is no bigger pleasure than that.
In addition to happiness, forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy, and compassion for the one who hurt you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or excusing the harm done to you or making up with the person who caused the harm. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.
It is easier said than done, you will say, as you feel that seeking revenge, holding grudges, and fantasizing about victory will give you bigger pleasure. It is more empowering than forgiveness, whereas forgiveness is a sign of weakness. When you can’t take revenge, you forgive. But studies have revealed that the best way to heal and be happy is to forgive the person who hurt you. It contributes to the creation of a much more successful and happier you. Why do you compromise on these two virtues just because somebody has hurt you?
The national forgiveness and happiness day reminds you that you should fill your heart with the light of love, compassion, and happiness by practising forgiveness. It is also celebrated as an occasion that encourages people to let bygones be bygones. This is because unforgiving will only be harmful to you in the long – run and will have no impact on the one who hurt you.
Why a day dedicated to this?
It highlights the importance of forgiveness as it is not easy and it takes a person to be strong to let go of negativity. It shows how forgiveness can lead to happiness and explains how it doesn’t make you weak, but is a reason behind eternal happiness. It also makes people let go of their grievances since the day promotes forgiveness, it makes people forget their grudges and assesses their relationship with a different perspective.
Facts you need to know about forgiveness:
- Letting go of grudges
- Effect on stress
- Don’t be the victim
- Forgiveness increases compassion
- Blame game
How to make this day more effective?
- Make a list of people you want to forget
- Apologize to someone for your mistake
- Preach the lesson on social media / your friend circle
A study revealed that forgiveness increases positive emotions and reduces negative ones such as blame and anger. As explained by author Shauna Shapiro, “Forgiveness is perhaps the most challenging of all the resources available to us – and the most transformational.”
What is forgiveness, and why is it important?
One of the most accurate descriptions I know of forgiveness is “Letting go of the hope that the past could have been different.”
It is what it is. It was what it was. We can’t change what has happened, no matter how difficult and how much we might want to.
Forgiveness not only gives you peace and happiness, but it also elevates your mood, enhances optimism, and guards against anger, stress, anxiety, and depression. Carrying the hurt or anger of an offence leads the body to release stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Eliminating the perpetual flow of those hormones also explains why forgiveness provides physical health benefits, such as lowering the risk of high blood pressure and heart problems.
Holding onto old hurt, anger or resentment is like dragging a bag of heavy rocks with you wherever you go. Each time you feel offended, there goes another rock into the bag. That jerk that cut you off on the freeway, there goes a pebble.
Beautifully encapsulated by Dalai Lama.
“Forgiving others has an enormously liberating effect. When we dwell on the harm someone has done to us, there is a tendency to become angry and resentful—our peace of mind is destroyed, our sleep is disturbed, and eventually even our physical health is likely to suffer. If we’re able to forgive whoever wronged us, we gain a tremendous feeling of inner confidence and freedom, which allows us to move on.”
This feels justified a lot of the time. Of course, we are mad and hurt and frustrated when someone “wrongs” us. Of course, there are more difficult cases, and if you are dealing with trauma or abuse, you can seek the assistance of a professional to help process your feelings around forgiveness. In the case of trauma and abuse, these rocks can feel permanent and unmovable sometimes. How could we ever move forward with the difficulties of the past weighing us down?
Not everyone knows how essential forgiveness is for happiness. Hence, use this day to spread the message and it will not only improve your life but that of thousands around you.
So, forgive to be HappyHO!
