Analysis Of Forgiveness By Maya Angelou

“It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.” This quote was said by the famous poet Maya Angelou. Angelou lived a difficult life. As a black woman she faced discrimination and was one of the few African American women standing up for rights during the 20th century. Her quote of forgiveness is something most people might not expect from someone who experienced hate and threats in one of America’s worst era’s. Angelou speaks of forgiveness being a gift. Forgiveness is not only something you can give others but you can also give yourself. Valuing forgiveness, and being able to forgive yourself for mistakes you made, and forgive others whose actions caused you pain, will allow you to live a better and …show more content…
The word forgiveness can mean different things to different people. According to Mike Mchargue, author of “The Scientific case For Forgiveness”, Forgiveness means “[A]ccepting what happened and moving on without wishing harm on the one who hurt you”. Needing time to heal is normal after feeling pain. Forgiveness does not mean a relationship can or has to go back to normal, but it does mean letting go of a grudge or negative feeling towards an individual so you can thrive as a person. It is important that forgiveness stems from a place of understanding and not simply because you think it is what other people would do at that time. No matter how many times someone apologizes if you cannot feel for them and truly sympathize for what they did, forgiving them means nothing. Empathy can help jumpstart the progress of forgiveness. By empathizing with the perpetrator, it allows you to hopefully mend relationships and move forward with life. In an article written by the staff at the Mayo Clinic titled "Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness”, the authors mention how forgiving may lead to reconciliation with the victim you hurt or person that hurt you, and help both parties come to terms with the situation. However, reconciliation may not always be appropriate due to the circumstances. In extreme cases, of physical abuse or violent threats, forgiveness might not be the answer. Resuming a relationship after a …show more content…
Walking away can be the closest some people come to forgiving others. (Mchargue). Living a healthier life starts with forgiving those who have hurt you. Improved mental health, lower blood pressure, and a stronger immune system are all benefits of forgiving others (Forgiveness). Figure 1 illustrates how the health of forgiveness is directly related to your heart health. Teens already have the stress of schools, and holding grudges causes higher stress levels and low self-esteem. As mentioned earlier those who are holding grudges or refusing to forgive because of revenge can have lower life expectancies, as well as a higher risk of heart attacks, and depression. Karen Swartz, a writer for John Hopkins medicine recorded, Post Traumatic stress disorder can arise if you hold a grudge for to long about an incident that severely impacted your life. When I was younger my sister and I got into a fight about going to a family event, I found it hard to focus in the classroom, or even do my daily routine the next day. After finally forgiving each other an immediate weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt it was easier to do even the small tasks. Now whenever we fight about something I think back to that one day we fought. I remember how severely that bump in out relationship affected everything happening around me, and I try my best to be understanding and own up for my actions to