A beautiful legend tells of an African tribe that ritualizes forgiveness.
When a tribe member acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he/she is taken
to the center of the village. All work ceases and every man, woman
and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused.
Then the tribe bombards the rejected person with affirmations! One
at a time, friends and family enumerate all the good the individual
has done. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled
with some detail and accuracy is recounted. All their positive attributes,
strengths and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. Finally,
the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and
the outcast is welcomed back into the tribe.
What a beautiful ritual of restoration! They replace hurt with happiness;
pain with peace. Once again they are family. The rejected one is
restored and the village is made whole. Paul Boese has said, "Forgiveness
does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."
As brothers and sisters in our global village, is letting go of
those resentments really an option?
Michael Bennett is Reiki Master,
and a master practitioner and trainer of NLP and Hypnotherapy, licensed
and certified through the Society of NLP. He operates a school for
teaching these disciplines to health professionals and persons interested
in improving the quality of their lives.
