The world remembers a great example of forgiveness and reconciliation at the passing of this amazing person. Nelson Mandela stands as a beacon of hope in today's world. He had every reason to be bitter and angry at the society which imprisoned him and the unjust rule of law that pervaded that society. Instead, he made a choice - and that choice led to the eventual demise of injustice and the growth of tolerance and acceptance in South Africa and beyond.
I have watched the movie, 'Invictus' several times.... and the part that always stands out for me is when the character, played by Matt Damon, visits the prison that held Mandela's body (but not his spirit) and comes to the realization of the enormity of the problem - and the solution embraced by Nelson.
Nothing is more inhibiting of true inner peace and freedom than when we hold on to past hurts - real or imagined - and when we stubbornly cling to our resentments. At the other end of the stick is the total freedom and tranquility that can be ours when we allow ourselves to let go of those things that are no longer serving us - bitterness, resentment, anger, jealousy, hatred, etc.
We often hear the words, 'Forgive and Forget'. It trips off the tongue so easily that it can just as easily be dismissed as a platitude. However, no matter how difficult it may appear, and how hard it may be to do, it is the only way to find our balance in life and to experience the joy that life has to offer. In the end, our lack of forgiveness often affects our own peace of mind more than the person towards whom that resentment is directed. The truth it, by harbouring and replaying these thoughts and memories in our mind, we hold ourselves in a place that is not healthy - and these can often manifest themselves in physical ways and in physical illness. It's hard work to hold on to this stuff, and it tells upon us, in time.
So... how do we set about letting go?
Many of us have found that when we entertain negative thoughts and emotions - things that don't feel good when we ponder them - we tend to attract more of the same. In a world that seems to be based upon a law which states, 'That which is like unto itself, is drawn', when we continue to replay thoughts of resentment, we will encounter similar experiences which will intensify the sense of injustice.
Conversely, if we choose to look for things that are going right in our life - or things around us that make us feel good when we observe them - then we change our point of attraction and begin to experience more and more things to appreciate. We are not very successful at ignoring thoughts. We don't do well when we say, "I won't think of that thing which I am thinking about". So we have to replace those thoughts with ones that feel good to us. When we achieve this, we will discover that gradually, step by step, we can improve the way we feel and our experiences will evolve to match that new point of attraction.
Finding thoughts that make us feel good and giving them our undivided attention is the key to being in alignment with our true selves.
Nelson Mandela is a beacon of light. He chose to focus on the positive and give that his attention and the world around him changed dramatically.
As we approach the Christmas and Holiday Season, maybe it's time for us to let go of the past, forgive and forget by refocusing our thoughts upon things that please us and give us a sense of relief.
Not only will our own world morph into something more joyful and free, our new alignment - and the example of our own peace of mind will be a powerful beacon that will influence others to find their own joy.
No comments :
Post a Comment