Yes, and look how he ended up. Maybe he shuld have take care to tie up loose ends vith his enemies, instead of forgiving them. Maybe he wuld still be alive.
Sorry Nil, but thats one thing I'l never understand. "Forgiving your enemies". I dont do that. It may take days, it may take months, or years, but eventualy I get even, vith anyone who wronged or hurt me.
If you don't mind, I'm going to teach you some history. Not because I think you don't know it, but because I think it might illuminate you as to why I appreciate that quote from a dead man.
JFK was assassinated by a complete nobody (
Lee Harvey Oswald) he knew nothing about.
A person he never knew killed him in a random act of unwarranted violence, can't exactly blame forgiveness for that. He was in an inherently risky profession (leading a country), it happens. Take a stance on anything, and someone will wish you dead.
As for "taking care of loose ends", that can only go so far. I can even veritably point out, with a historical comparison, why JFK was ultimately right even in death to take that position.
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked the beginning of The Great War. Austria-Hungary used the death of the Archduke as a cassus belli against Serbia, which in turn roped Russia into the war to protect them as the two had a mutual interest in one another's safety, which roped Germany into declaring war on Russia in support of their ally Austria-Hungary, which in turn led to the rest of
world war 1. The total death count because of a country's desire to avenge the death of an Archduke to a politically motivated assassin was 40 million people. The vast,
vast majority of whom, having never cared for Archduke Ferdinand
or his assassin.
Post World War 1, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by the Allied Powers against Germany. Austria-Hungary imploded, and Germany was left an impoverished nightmare that grew resentful toward the Allied powers. The Allies were getting their revenge--in getting monetary compensation from a beaten enemy. That beaten enemy evolved into a fascist nightmare that consumed Europe, and another 50 to 80 million lives. The consequences of which led to the Cold War between the USSR and the USA.
If we continued to follow that logic, of getting revenge, of killing in the name of justice, none of us would be here right now. Because Lee Harvey Oswald
was a marxist, who had moved to Russia, married a Russian woman, and settled down in the US. There is very little doubt that at least part of his motivation in killing the President of the United States was political--just like the Serbian assassin who killed Archduke Ferdinand. However, the US stayed its hand. It did not declare war on the USSR. Because if it did, it would have resulted in total nuclear annihilation for both sides.
The truth is... Revenge gets you nothing. Revenge does not build an empire. Revenge does not bring back the dead. Revenge does not create masterpieces of art or cure cancer or do anything remotely productive. All revenge begets is more revenge. It continues, on and on, until either one person at some point endures the pain and says "I'm sorry" and tries to fix things, or until there is nobody left to fight anymore.
It takes a strong man, a kind man, of conviction and worthiness, to forgive someone who has wronged them and not pursue revenge. However, a fool is one who ignores a villain at the door, or evil in the midst--thus, the phrase: "Forgive your enemies,
but never forget their names." If someone has hurt you, remember
how they hurt you, and
why they hurt you, and be smarter. Don't go for revenge, you will get nothing from it, but don't go and blindly trust the people who hurt you again.
To forgive is not to be blind, it's to let go of the lasting damage that someone
else has left on you. Little more. I'm glad the leaders of nations learned this lesson a long time ago, because it means you and I can have this conversation, instead of looking through scraps hoping to find another meal in a nuclear hellhole.