Letting Go, Moving On

Hello, this is Ditto.

There are times when you feel suffocated, as if a heavy stone has been placed upon your chest.
That is when deep hatred and resentment toward someone completely fill you up inside.

We sharpen our anger, hoping the person who hurt us will suffer,
but more often than not, we are the ones being cut by that sharp blade every day.

There is a passage in the early Buddhist scripture, the Dhammapada:

"Holding onto anger is
like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
In this world, hatred is never appeased by hatred.
It is only appeased by letting go of it; this is an eternal, unchanging truth."

We often think of 'forgiveness' as an act of charity or mercy bestowed upon others.
We tend to first question whether the other person deserves to be forgiven.
But true forgiveness is not for the other person.
It is the only key that can free you from the cold prison of past wounds.

Hatred is like a chain that binds you to that person forever.
Forgiveness is the act of breaking that chain.

It does not mean, "I will pretend your wrongdoings never happened,"
but rather it is a resolute declaration of liberation:
"I will no longer allow your wrongdoings to ruin my present and future."

Is there still a prison of hatred in a corner of your heart,
that you are holding onto tightly and unable to let go of?

Not for their sake, but solely for your own lighter footsteps,
how about setting down that heavy burden now?

The courage to protect yourself instead of lingering in a wounded past.
That courage will allow your soul to
soar freely like a bird released from its cage.

May this be a night when the tangled knots in your heart softly unravel.

This was Ditto.