How do you feel about this topic in terms of friendship? I often
think about past friendships and wonder how forgiveness (or a lack
thereof) impacted them. Are you the type of person who is
easy to forgive or do you hold on to past conflict/situations/
As I continue on this journey of examining female friendship, I'm trying (really, really trying) to be more forgiving of my friends, and at the same time, be aware of my expectations of them. When conflict happens or there is a hiccup in the friendship, I now take a step back and look at what happened with a different perspective - one less emotion-driven and more accepting. It's challenging but as I attempt to be more open in my forgiveness, I find I don't become upset as easily, which then allows the friendship to blossom in a more positive manner.
At the same time, if a friend hurts me or something happens that is too painful, I think it would be reasonable to take some time and decide whether the friendship is worth continuing - especially if I have already tried addressing the issue with no success. It depends on the friendship, how long the friendship has lasted, and if there seems to be a dysfunctional pattern in the friendship. You can forgive someone, but as we all know, you never forget.
All in all, forgiveness is tough. Do you agree? What's your stance on and experience with this topic?
Difficult topic, definitely. I think that forgiveness is usually worth it in the end. I can't think of too many people I don't forgive at all. On the other hand, sometimes I think if you find yourself needing to forgive a lot, it still may be worth discontinuing the friendship, ha. I think it's possible to forgive, but still not be friends anymore...
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