a spin on Forgiveness

Forgiveness: the act of forgiving.

Forgive: 1a: to give up resentment of or claim to requital for b: to grant relief from payment of
2: to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : pardon

A simple word, a straight forward meaning. Why is it then, that people so easily confuse it for foolishness, naivety? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Ring a bell to anybody?

Why is it that forgiveness has stopped simply meaning to release any harboring resentment to a person? It has now come to mean forgiving one for their wrongdoings and continuing to go about your daily life and interactions with such people as though nothing ever occurred. Clearly the clever work of manipulative minds, whom desire to justify their wrongdoings through the concept that a truly good person is obligated to "forgive" them.

These minds use God, and Jesus as reasons for practicing their version of "forgiveness". That to live like Jesus one must forgive. Oh, believe me, I believe in Jesus and I believe in forgiveness, and actually practice it quite well. However, I am a little less experienced with foolishness.

Foolish: 1: lacking in sense, judgment, or discretion
2a: absurd, ridiculous b: marked by a loss of composure : nonplussed
3: insignificant, trifling

*synonyms see simple*

How do these two polar opposite words end up tied together on top of the railroad tracks you ask?
Simple, how many times have you been told or asked to "forgive" someone, and in your heart done exactly that, only to receive more grief and drama because you did not return to living your life in the exact same matter as before the incident?
Now I'm not talking about your best friend telling you that you that the dress looks great only for you to ask a more brutal friend for an opinion and learn it looks hideous. Or even a friend telling a little white lie to get out of doing a favor, or to back out on plans. No, I'm talking about bigger things, like blatant disrespect. Infedelity. Betrayal. Things of this nature. Things that when done, make you stagger back a few steps and look on wide-eyed for a moment at the situation.
Oh, now you may say that disrespect is not as bad as infedelity. It may not be, but with respect infedelity could be avoided. Betrayal could be avoided. Yes, when a person loses the capability to show any respect for a person they become capable of much larger things.

Okay, I acknowledge that this is very close to becoming a falacy, but I'm just saying they become capable. How about this.. they become more likely to become capable. ?

Okay. Here's the point, since I seem to have let it run off. When you practice forgiveness you should not be expected to move on as if the incident never occured. As if the person you forgave never committed any wrong. You should learn from it. Ask yourself whether or not that person still holds the qualities of someone who is worthy to stay in your life. If the answer is no then forgive that person. For harboring anger only strenghtens the power of those 'who trespass against us'.
But don't ever confuse forgiveness for forgetfullness. Sure they say "forgive and forget" but that seems more appropriate if it were "forgive and move on", but of course that doesn't sound as nice does it? There's not ring to that. Funny thing with the blunt truth. There's never a positive happy connotation. Even the word "blunt" itself sounds and looks ugly. Like someone getting hit in the face.
Don't ever let someone guilt trip you into continuing to have a relationship of any kind. You have all the right to forgive and move on. Don't keep returning to bad habits.

Practice forgiveness. Don't practice foolishness.
& always remember, "Fool me once, Shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Sleep beautifully my fellow little monsters.