Kevin Rudd, when Australian prime minister, said “Sorry” to the native peoples and their ancestors who had suffered at the hands of Europeans. Those foreigners had invaded, taken their lands, destroyed their culture, taken their children and imposed a form of apartheid within the continent they then called theirs – and named it Australia.
It was such an obvious thing to apologise for – and such a necessary courtesy – and yet it took white people 200 years to do so.
Whether you or I are apologising for our behaviour – or forgiving others for theirs – the act of doing so is a vital and essential factor in healing.
Mr Rudd recognised this truth.
We cannot heal whilst we hang onto our shame, our guilt, our hurt (all of which are judgements of ourself) or our judgement of others.
We must put all of these judgements aside.
What judgements do you hang onto?
How do they affect you?
What’s stopping you letting them go?
Our healing (physically, emotionally and mentally) requires that our energy is harmonious and in harmony with the natural world.
This cannot happen whilst we are prejudiced, annoyed, intolerant, angry, irritated, aggravated or otherwise at odds with others.
So what’s the answer?
For me, it was to list everyone who had either annoyed or hurt me or had been hurt, demeaned, insulted or disadvantaged by me….. and who hadn’t yet received a sincere apology or message of love from me. In other words, the event was still ‘stuck in my gut’……
I gave myself three weeks to come up with the entire list.
The list – one name per line – went for over a foolscap page!
There were well over 50 names…….
Either I had ‘hurt’ them or they had ‘hurt’ me – which way it went wasn’t so important as the need to repair the damage done (and often continuing to be done to myself when it was still unresolved).
Some went back years, some only weeks…..but all had to be fixed!
And it had to be resolved in the most effective manner.
This meant that the greater the hurt the greater the remedy.
The most important issues (about 10) received a physical visit so
I could resolve the issue in person.
The next level of unresolved issues (about 15) received a friendly call or apology via phone.
Two people – by then deceased – received gravesite visits where I read (out loud, with feeling) my loving letters of healing to them.
The balance (where the unresolved issue was minor) received a friendly letter or card expressing friendship, love and healing.
It was so easy to do: all that was necessary was to acknowledge that we each fail in many ways to be the Love we are.
This exercise changed my life.
It has changed the lives of many others I’ve suggested it to, as well.
It can change yours immensely for the better, too!
First, start with a clean sheet of paper……
Peace be within you.
Les