Artist: RembrandtForgiveness as defiance. Now there's a concept, isn't it? Take a look:
Forgiveness is an embrace, across all barriers, against all odds, in defiance of all that is mean and petty and vindictive and cruel in this life.
Worth pondering. With sincere thoughtfulness.
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I marvel, again, at the creativity and mindfulness of your blog site. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is a most challenging and provocative...in a good way, comment for me.
Do you think there might be a danger in mistaking a kind of arrogance for true, deep down forgiveness? Rather than the "defiance" spoken of here? Just wondering how that works....
annie c
I wonder if the definition is more appropriate to our understanding of divine grace. Forgiveness, it seems to me, is what it is, in the specific circumstances in which it is given or accepted, to whom and from whom. To add the words "against all odds, in defiance of all that is mean and petty and vindictive and cruel in this life" seems to heap upon the one who seeks to be forgiving too great a burden. I would argue that the capacity for forgiveness might be seen as analogous to athletic accomplishment. One can walk a mile in 20 minutes. Another can run a mile in under four. Is one accomplishment superior to the other? It depends on our perspective and who it is that has made the accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteFYI The word verifications have become so indecipherable that it took me about 8-10 attempts on the last one to publish my comment. I wonder if I'll stick with this one long enough to get this comment published.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your sticking with it, Tom. I might try disabling for a while and just see how much spam I get. In the past I've just been inundated, though....
ReplyDeleteVery insightful comments, Tom.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, C.S.Lewis said something similar about forgiveness. He urged us not to attempt advanced mathematics while we were still learning to add and subtract.
i too have found the word verifications very difficult to read? why is that?
ReplyDeleteannie