Will the faculty to forgive add to one's longevity

To err is human, but to forgive is divine.

It is no wonder there is a paradox in the belief that a mind to forgive adds to one’s longevity. How is this possible?

There are people who argue right opposite to this. They say, as we forgive a person, we are bound to suppress the wrath and other ill feelings within us and hence, there is a chance for a high blood pressure that results from emotional agitation. This argument cannot be overlooked altogether.

We have learnt that once the raging emotions within are discharged, the body gets liberated from stress and strain to that extent. This quietens both the body and the mind. It is natural to conclude that one who forgives undergoes mental struggles and therefore cannot enjoy a long span of life.

Theology states that, to err is human but to forgive is divine. However, it is Dr. Lorren L. Tosent of Michigan University of America who studied in this regard and established a correlation between the faculty to forgive and a long life.

Dr. Lorren points out that one feels relaxed as one forgives a person. On the other hand, if he condemns a person, a sense of guilt haunts him and he becomes restless. The essence of Dr. Lorren’s finding is that a man of relaxed mood can enjoy long life.

… From Olaichuvadi
Written by Dr. Venganoor Balakrishnan.

Olaichuvadi verbally means palm leaf. All the traditional lore of ancient India used to be kept inscribed on chemically processed palm leaves, handled with peity and devoid of impurities.

I tend to forgive and forget easily. People around me, term my behavior as an act of cowardice. I do however ignore such persons due to which I do not have lot of friends. I never go all my way out to restore friendship or relationships. But once when I am in the midst of my loved ones, I open out and can be extremely outgoing.

Personally, I feel that venting out our anger serves no purpose. It takes a lot of courage to actually forgive someone for his wrongs. Retaliation fuels further hatred and takes away our peace of mind. This outrage manifests itself into domestic violence and can go to extremes – terrorism as we are witnessing today.

Today many of us are speaking of an eye for an eye kind of punishment. We want to cut the criminals to size mercilessly and even cite the examples of some countries where such punishments are in practice.

However, when the power vests solely in the hands of such self appointed law enforcers, it can lead to despotism and tyranny. The people are, therefore, not happy in such countries and cannot even speak out their mind. It can lead to a Taliban style of government.

 

thanks Akila and sreemanavaneeth for your wonderful comments

warm regards
Suresh