When someone makes mistakes that hurt your feelings, what will you do? Forgive(原谅) them or stay angry? Confucius (孔子), a great thinker in ancient China, showed his answer to this question in TheAnalects of Confucius《论语》.
Confucius said:"Don't mention what is past; don't undo what is cast; don't grasp what is blast. "What does it mean? If a person made him feel uncomfortable, Confucius said, he would forgive him. Confucius didn't think people were perfect and they would make mistakes. If people just keep others' bad actions in mind, they will become unhappy. So, why not let the bad things of the past go and look to the future?
The story of GuanZhong and Duke Huan of Qi(齐桓公) during the Spring and Autumn Period is a good example.
Guan Zhong once tried to kill Duke Huan of Qi. But when the Duke knew that Guan could help him look after his kingdom, he forgave what Guan did. So, Guan did his best to help Duke Huan of Qi. Together, they made the kingdom better.
We think forgiveness is what we do for others, but it's really about keeping ourselves from the bad feelings. Letting go of bad things in the past doesn't mean forgetting them. Instead, we should learn from them so that we don't make the same mistakes.
