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Global Forgiveness
Day
Mark your calendar
for August 27th. This very special day had its start in 1994, in Victoria,
British Columbia. At that time, the day was known as National Forgiveness
Day. As more and more people began to identify with their personal need to
forgive and be forgiven, the word spread, and the day was renamed to what
is now known as Global Forgiveness Day. The message of this day now spans
the world.
On my July 16th radio
show, I interviewed Dr. Don Pet. Don is the founder and director of The
Educational Community, Inc., whose mission is to spread mental wealth and
world peace, through education. Don and I discussed three specific skills
individuals need in order to begin the journey toward world peace. The
first skill is self-endorsement; becoming one's own best friend. The second
is moving from instinct and habit when solving problems to using reason and
wisdom. The third skill is the universal magical problem solving sentence:
"Given this situation, what is most likely to make things better for
you and me, for now and the future."
In his new book, A
Short Course to Mental Wealth: A Newer Way of Thinking, Don shares a list
of "worthwhile addictions." I don't know about you, but I have
always viewed the word "addiction" within a negative context. Don
wrote about some addictions that are worthwhile having. A few of these are:
- Faith: The
belief that I can take responsibility for myself.
- Self-endorsement:
The skill in habitually conversing with myself as one best friend
would with another.
- Loving
friendship: By filling our needs through self-endorsement, we
"spill over" with love and sharing with others.
- Risk taking:
The willingness to let go of established patterns to make way for
newer, more appropriate and effective ones.
- An attitude
of gratitude: Acquiring the skill to habitually appreciate what we
have attained, what we have available to us now, and what we may
attain in the future.
- The Magical
Sentence: "Given this situation, what is most likely to get me
(and you) what is beneficial in the long-term as well as the
short-term?"
Stop
for a minute and reflect on these six positive addictions. When I reflected,
I realized these all have an important part to play in forgiving ourselves
and others.
I
can't think of a better way to begin becoming one's own best friend than by
forgiving ourselves. Taking the next step and forgiving one other person is
a beginning for making things better for you and me, for now and
the future.
Help
make August 27th a day of new beginnings. Forgive yourself and forgive one
other person. Imagine the impact we could have if everyone just forgave one
other individual. It might result in a new beginning for the world.
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