Empathy & Forgiveness by Cristina Bosio

EMPATHY

When I talk about empathy, I am talking about a form of knowledge, not just the feeling that defines it.

Empathy (from the ancient Greek word em pateia ), that is, ability to share the suffering of the other.

A synonym of empathy is compassionate even though the latter came later, with Christianity, and defines a feeling of charity from the Gospel, love your neighbor. Jimo like yourself.

Empathy although similar does not define the same feeling because it is a secular word, it has nothing to do with religion, but with a kind of contagio moral .

The empathy is directly proportional to the imagination.

Who has no imagination does not have empathy either.

It takes only a little imagination to understand the suffering of the other, that each human being is equal to all others.

Unfortunately, there are not many who possess this type of imagination.

Does the other person have eyes, limbs, senses, body, feelings, passions? Doesn't he eat food too? Isn't he, too, wounded by a gun? Doesn't he get sick too? Doesn't it get hot too in the summer and is it cold in the winter? Like any living being, if you hurt it, if necessary; Doesn't the bleeding bleed too?

(Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice ).

I have taken the license to substitute in Shakespeare's work the word Jud o with the other to indicate all human beings whatever their race and color, or rather, to all beings capable of experiencing suffering, therefore also to animals, unfortunate companions on this planet.

FORGIVENESS - Cristina Bosio

Forgiveness is not a simple mechanism to free those who offended from guilt, forgiveness is a mechanism for you to be free from the bitterness that left that action in your heart.

You can decide to forgive someone, who is not really sorry to have harmed you, because your intention to forgive, is not that that person is free of guilt, but that you are free inside, that you have peace, that you can live well, that you have unleashed the mooring that had you stopped at the port.

It is very important to know that forgiveness does not exempt the offender from guilt, but frees the offended.

You need to decide to forgive, to be free from the wounds of the soul.

I have heard many times the phrase: "I forgive, but I do not forget", and we seriously think that if we do not forget, it is mainly because we have not really forgotten, but this is also a mistake.

Forgiveness never implies that you forget everything, forgiveness does not produce amnesia, it is not essential that you forget to forgive, you can forgive and be aware of the damage that was done to you, but decide that it will no longer affect you in your life.

Something very important is that you can decide to forgive, make the decision to no longer bring past things to the present, even stand firm in the decision not to criticize, or attack the person who offended you.

However, you cannot decide to stop feeling.

When you decide to forgive someone at once, it is essential that you confess it out loud.

There is a marked difference between thinking and verbalizing it; With your voice you have the power for life and death, power to bind and power to unleash.

Feel that freedom, that extra weight that goes away, maybe accompanied by tears, maybe accompanied by sadness and crying, but you will finally be free.

You have also hurt many people, intentionally or without it, deeply hurt the soul of your loved ones; You have to apologize.

Forgiveness is a mechanism for your heart to heal from wounds, for your soul to shine, for your life to increase, so that you can develop the potential you possess and that no one can ever take away.