National Pardon Day in rememberance of why it is important to forgive

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This day (September 14) in 1974, President Gerald Ford publicly released a Presidential Proclamation pardoning Nixon of any wrong-doing related to the Watergate scandal. Nixon was the only presidential resignation in history.

Although there were no publicly available reports as to why the Ford administration decided to release the pardon, but I have a good indication as to why- forgiving is part of developing and maintaining healthy relationships.

Most people will agree that the basis of a great relationship is trust and forgiveness. Studies after studies have continually shown the positive impact of forgiving someone. It may be hard initially to try to forgive someone, but it is definitely a burden in your heart that you need to lift off. The after-effects far outweigh the benefits of simply not addressing the issue at hand.

We’re not saying you should take this opportunity to reach out to anyone who has ever wronged you and say “I forgive you.” But everyone knows that negativity begets negativity (and the same holds true for the opposite). Holding a grudge or a chip on your shoulder for a good part of your life can affect your emotions without you ever realizing it. Some people will take what they’ve experienced and carry it on with every other relationship they create in the future, which would be quite unfair to the new person in your life.

To put it in a more emotional sense, remember that grudges are held with anger. Let go of the grudge, then there is no anger. Less anger in your heart leaves more room for happiness in your life.

So how does this relate to charity? I ran into this Yahoo! Answers thread, and I am very drawn to this person’s answer.

Charity is the act of giving to another to ease their need without desire of restitution. In other words, you do something to ease their burden without expectation that they will ever be able to repay it. Forgiveness, by its nature, can lessen the physical, financial, emotional, psychological and/or, if you are so inclined, spiritual burden of the recipient, depending on what form it takes. (read more…)

Maybe there is an interesting way to combine the benefits of forgiveness with the message that charities so desperately want to send out.