UNHIDE ASSIGNMENT! [PSY 020.1] Forgiving the Unforgivable (?) ~ THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS – WEEK #3 Dear colleagues in forgiveness, I have also discovered an excellent brief summary by Dr. Luskin of the relationship between forgiveness and well-being at http://alumni.binghamton.edu/AJ/2002/fall/perspective.htm . Now to the week ahead: We are nearly half way through our course, and are adding to our study of intra- and interpersonal forgiveness an examination of the social implications of forgiveness as well. All of these dimensions are touched upon in George Roemisch’s poem entitled “Forgiveness” (which many people consider "unrealistic"): Forgiveness is the wind-blown bud which blooms in placid beauty at Verdun. Forgiveness is the tiny slate-gray sparrow which has built its nest of twigs and string among the shards of glass upon the walls of shame. Forgiveness is the child who laughs in merry ecstasy beneath the toothed fence that closes in Da Nang. Forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet which still clings fast to the heel that crushed it. Forgiveness is the broken dream which hides itself within the corner of the mind oft called forgetfulness so that it will not bring pain to the dreamer. Forgiveness is the reed which stands up straight and green when nature's mighty rampage halts, full spent. Forgiveness is a God who will not leave us after all we've done. ************************************ This week's chat sessions will again be held on two different days at different times, to accommodate the diversity of time zones. You are expected to attend only one of the sessions . . . and may attend both if that is your inclination. The purpose of the chat sessions is for you to elicit and exhange live responses to your questions and thoughts about the course. PLEASE NOTE that the chat times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. To assist you in checking their corresponding times in your time zone, see http://www.timeanddate.com . Friday, May. 28, Noon PDT Monday, May 31, 7 a.m. PDT The chat room is accessed via the sidebar on the left of the course's web page. This week we have the opportunity to reflect upon the magnitude and forgivability of our own grievances in contrast to those associated with the Holocaust. Here's what lies ahead of us: WEEK #3: The Holocaust: Is Forgiveness Possible? OVERVIEW: Forgiveness is not just a personal issue. Forgiving a specific person is not the only call to forgiveness. Entire cultures have to deal with the aftermath of political and institutional cruelty. In many parts of the world, groups of people hate their neighbors and act out against them with cruelty. What would we do if faced with the question of forgiveness in the case of a family member being murdered or our group suffering unmerited long-term savagery? Do we have the tools to forgive? Would we choose to forgive? Is forgiveness the correct choice? In The Sunflower we are given a wonderful example of the complexity and subtlety of choosing whether or not to forgive. We are also confronted with the enormity of forgiving something as horrible as the Holocaust. Is there a place to begin? TO READ THIS WEEK Wiesenthal, Simon, The Sunflower, pp. 3-98 DISCUSSION POINTS 1. What would you have done in Wiesenthal’s place? 2. Did he make the correct decision? 3. What were his choices? 4. Why does Wiesenthal still ponder this event? 5. What did you think of the responses of the people in whom he confided? As always, the discussion points will be addressed in your responses to a set of topics posted for Week #3. The topics, each with its own thread, are entitled as follows: · THE IMPACT OF WIESENTHAL’S GRIEVANCES ON MY OWN: Does the enormity of Wiesenthal’s grievance change your perspective on your own? Do any of your grievances seem equally justified and subject to comparable choices? Are they worthy of pondering for the rest of your life? If so, how may you, as has Wiesenthal in bringing war criminals to justice, redeem your ongoing investment in your grievance? If you can peceive no means of redeeming the grievance, what makes your continued investment in it worthwhile? · FORGIVENESS TECHNIQUES THAT WORK: What works for one tends to work for many, though few things tend to work for all. Anything that has worked for you in the past, or subsequent to your learning of it in this class, is worthy of sharing with others for whom it may thereby become likewise workable. Please feel encouraged to share accordingly. *DEFINING UNFORGIVENESS: The question "are some things unforgivable?" begs for a definition, not of what forgiveness is, rather of what UNforgiveness is. How yould you define unforgiveness? · INTENDING TO FORGIVE: Unlike exterior goals, which are set to motivationally compel us, interior intentions impel us. Without the interior impulsion provided by intention, our external goals are more likely to become measurements of our failure as well as incentives for our success. And so it is with forgiveness. The value of any forgiveness goal tends to be in proportion to one's intention to reach it. What is the current state of your intentionality concerning forgiveness? Much to be thinking about this week . . . Putting forgiveness first, Noel McInnis noelmcinnis@forgivenessfirst.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO LOG ON TO YOUR COURSE SITE: Go to: http://www.alllearn.org/ NEED HELP? Phone 1-866-524-1502 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or send an email to help@AllLearn.org. If you're outside the US and Canada and wish to speak to someone, please email your phone number to help@AllLearn.org so that an AllLearn staff member may contact you.