Forgiveness In 'All Over But The Shoutin'

As I sit here thinking about was forgiveness means to me. I have come to realize that holding in hate is harmful and the outcome physically and mentally could cause undesirable effects. Although, the process of forgiveness can take many years and the process may start with you. The whole process shouldn’t be seen as an obligation, but a remedy to help with your recovery.

Some people may disagree with this observation. They may argue that it is easier to forget than forgive depending on the emotional circumstance. Forgiveness is interpreted different ways by many people. For example, the person that went through the crisis can forget what happened to them by staying away from that particular person or situation. However, forgiveness takes the power, or control, away from the forgiven and should be used as a tool that assists in balancing your life when someone hurts you.

One reason forgiving a person can give the confidence to move on can be seen in the “Render Unto Larry’s”, an op-ed piece written by Phil Holland that tells a story of his childhood. He and his friend Chester stole model paints from a neighborhood store. Although Larry was dead, Holland enters

I recall the Richard Bragg’s Memoir; “All over but the Shoutin” Bragg discusses an event in which he went to visit his father. He met his father in hopes of getting an apology for leaving his mother and siblings alone with no money. When one reads this story it could drive home the feeling of being helpless to someone with a similar story. Bragg mumbles the words “thank you daddy.” At this point, the opportunity to provide closure was missing and to this day Bragg regrets not telling his dad how he felt. In this particular case, by Bragg keeping his feelings to himself may have caused negative feelings for himself or others in the family at that time, but through his writings he addressed those feelings and can often be considered a true first