On this final day of our year we contemplate Forgiveness.
My post yesterday was pretty meta, but this principle deserves more attention. I mentioned that I interpret the teachings of Jesus as rabbinic midrash. The radical forgiveness he advocated (how I wish the fundamentalists were holding up signs that read Matthew 5:44) of loving one’s enemies and turning the other cheek are amazingly powerful stances.
On one level, forgiving can be a very selfish act. When we forgive, it often releases our anger, untying knots of powerlessness and recrimination. But the real magic of it is that it can untie similar knots in those we forgive, who are too often twisted by guilt and regret and sometimes trapped in self deception and rationalization. This insane dance of victimization, condemnation and vengeance that underlies so much of the pain and horror in the world, is wonderfully susceptible to the grace of forgiveness.
Modern psychology has proven that bad behavior is much more susceptible to being extinguished by being drawn into the light than beaten into the darkness. Modern game theory demonstrates how forgiveness can heal and elevate the outcome of a system that has fallen into the grip of cynicism. Our most knee-jerk reactions are usually to lash out, but we can moderate these instincts with our cognition. The problem comes when the ideology supports these basest instincts. We need to embrace the ideology of forgiveness and reject, just as rebbe JC and Mr. Gautama did, the misguided and obsolete ethos of an eye for an eye.
A very Happy Holly Day of Forgiveness to you all.
HOLLY DAYS 