Healing is a decision. Forgiveness is part of the healing. .

Yashren Reddi

Grade 10a

Forgiveness

In the current hostile environment we all find ourselves, you could be thinking that the subject is not appropriate. I hope that by the end of this speech I would have been able to make a different in the way you think about forgiveness.

Every turn you take today you encounter people that have scars in their lives, the scars can be anything from minor irritation to something as big an impact as apartheid had on many of our lives. One thing is clear that if we together as a nation continue to stew in the negatives of our encounters we are doomed. We have a role model, Mr Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 27 years, he walks the talk to forgive. He has become legendary in his approach to life, there is absolutely no way this man would be the father figure to the world if he was bitter about the tragedies of his life.

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Immense personal beauty and opportunity live beneath old emotional scars. To move beyond the focus on the scars and into a healing process, each person must decide to relinquish any anger, bitterness, blame, resentment or hostility toward others or Self and commit to freeing themselves from the emotional and spiritual bondage that holding on to old pain entails. There is no room for bitterness and joy; blame/resentment and love; or hostility and gentleness to co-exist. The decision to be free to experience and enjoy love, joy, peace or gentleness demands a release of negative memories and their embraced impact. You remain committed to the past and all of its consequences as long as you live in that experience. To be able to live in the ‘now’ it is imperative that you leave the past behind. Today, few of us are unaware of the power of the unconscious mind and the ability of one-self to create a life based on one’s particular destiny – however imagined. To become more clear, in relation to who you actually are, and to rid your Self of the messages that others have implanted, it is imperative that each person decides to own responsibility for Self and self-development. Since old wounds created by painful circumstances often keep us in emotional and spiritual bondage, lending itself to physical illness it is important that each of us decide to relinquish our painful past. Individually, you must decide to heal of all thoughts, memories, emotions and biases that prevent you from being all that you can be in a life.

I have an uncle who had a car accident many years ago and he is now a disabled person. After the accident which took place in Mooi River whilst my uncle was still stuck in the car, white friend was also speedily sent to hospital the hospital within a few kilometers. Once my uncle was removed from the wreckage he was sent a couple 100km to the hospital in Pietermaritzberg because the hospital in Mooi River was strictly for whites. My uncles neck was then already fractured and moving him all those km to Pietermaritzberg could have caused more damage and if he was assisted in Mooi River maybe he would not have been permanently disable. My uncle has forgiven all. The remarkable thing about him is that he has over the years discovered that he has won a number of awards. He also excels in the sports that he plans and the best thing is that he makes such a impact on the lives of the people he touches. Now would he have achieved the things that he has previously, I don’t know? But if he had not made a concerted effort to forgive he certainly would not be in the successful position that he is in now. Is this easy? I don’t think so. But I am sure that the benefits for forgiving are better thanif you did not.

Healing is a decision. Forgiveness is part of the healing. .