One of the most famous prisoners of opinion in the world today is China’s most well-known political dissident, Liu Xiaobo, who has already served nearly half his 11 year sentence. He holds no animosity towards his Communist jailors or the party that imprisoned him.
At the time of his sentencing, he said: “I have no enemies and no hatred. None of the police who monitored, arrested and interrogated me, none of the prosecutors who indicted me, and none of the judges who judged me are my enemies. Enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation, incite cruel mortal struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity and hinder a nation’s progress towards freedom and democracy.”
He now joins ranks with famous resisters, such as Mandela who commented that “resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies!”
Or Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar who despite years of house arrest harbours no animosity toward the military generals who persecuted her. “In some ways,” she adds, “I don’t think they really did anything to me” she said. “I do not think I have anything to forgive them for.”
Those who discover the profoundly liberating power of forgiveness realize very quickly that it is first and foremost a gift we make to ourselves.
And this is where blessing intervenes. It is one of the most efficient approaches to forgiving, as it is impossible to judge and bless at the same time, or bless authentically and hold any grudge of any sort for a long period.
My discovery of the power of blessing came because I started blessing day in, day out a small group of people who had wronged me extremely seriously professionally. Try it, friend. The results are guaranteed! Love yourself enough to forgive!
Pierre Pradervand
