I find myself in an awkward and somewhat spiritually unhealthy
situation. I have to document events in order to protect myself and have a
clear recollection of certain situations. Each time I make additions to the
documentation I’m reminded of all the infractions. In essence I am not letting
go of the past, but actually keeping it alive because I’m keeping a record of
wrongs. We often hear it said that it’s easier to forgive than to forget…but
I’m thinking that both are easier than keeping a record.
1 comment:
Gail;
-----In the circumstances of your conundrum, “why” has two senses. One sense is for the guilt or acclaim of a situation. The other is about a situation’s causes and nature. The purposes behind the first sense can be either for condemnation or honor, or for reparation or opportunity. The purposes behind the second are to manage the broader state of affairs developing from many interlinking situations for steering its development from impending failure or towards desired success. Whether production, events, transactions, deeds, or sayings are beneficial or detrimental, they all build into a state of affairs that is the current lot of our lives, which will definitely develop into tomorrow’s lot altered by goings on yet to come. Therefore, dealing responsibly with our lots in life requires dealing with situations and the interlinking of their outcomes. This requires memory, and memory generally needs paper.
-----On one hand, I envy you. I define intelligence as information plus memory plus logic. Everything that happens carries vast information. My mind is good at ferreting out information, since my logic pulls stuff apart better than it puts things together. But my memory is like a drip on a hot skillet; it hops around a lot and then vanishes. So, I’ve always wanted to keep a good documentation of my affairs as they develop. But in trying I would get so lost while recording the information that I would never get to mapping its meaning. And for me, it’s the meaning of things that ties information into memories. I miss what I could know about my present state of affairs if I had even sketches of all my daily situations on paper.
-----The more lives yours touches, the more responsibility you have for the results of situations you can effect. And the more situations will you have to be sketched. On this hand I don’t envy you. Especially when it is considered that different people see things in different ways. And those various ways are as often incongruent as they are many, each being as real to its individual’s mind as your ways are to your mind. Life can get complicated mighty fast. A good mapping of how everything got to be how it is today greatly helps to resolve resultant conflict.
-----Forgiveness or condemnation are not about states of affair; they are about relationship. Forgiveness seeks to maintain relationship based upon mutual benefit. Condemnation seeks to break relationship for individual benefit. Yet relationship does not necessarily mean involvement. You may involve a good driver in the steering of your favorite car, yet hardly know him otherwise. But that you would not likewise involve a favorite, alcoholic cousin in no way means you have no forgiveness for his last bender. You’ll still play dominos with him, but he won’t drive any of your cars. Because you love him you will keep mental tabulation of his situation, hoping someday it shows real and total abstinence. Then you might let him drive Bill’s dilapidated 1981 Ford trash truck filled with all his past empties to the dump. Recording is for mapping. Forgiveness makes humility. Condemnation is from arrogance. Intelligence plus humility yields wisdom. Plus arrogance it makes foolishness.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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