“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” - Mahatma Gandhi

I am not the type of person who holds grudges in my heart. I find it very easy to forgive and forget. (Lalo na pag nakaganti na ako sa taong nag-maldita sa akin!) Maybe because it has always been my choice to focus on the good things instead of the bad. Life is too short. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life begrudging someone.

A friend told me recently that she has already forgiven her ex-boyfriend for all the bad things he did to her. But she didn’t want to be friends with him because she’s still hurt. I got confused and asked her, “How can you say that you’ve already forgiven him if you’re still hurting?” I told her that the only time she can truly say she had forgiven him is when bad memories don’t have the power to hurt her at present anymore. I mean, it’s okay not be friends if it is her choice. But to still get hurt for something that happened a long time ago is something else. Then I added, “The past can no longer hurt you unless you let it.”

She smiled and ended our conversation by saying, “Alright then. Maybe I haven’t forgiven him completely.” I shook my head and we both burst out laughing. I didn’t tell her that memories of my stupid ex started running through my head as we talked.

Kidding aside, it’s been a while the last time I hated someone. In all honesty, it was an awful feeling knowing that there’s someone out there keeping the same hatred towards you. But at the end of the day, you’ll realize that nobody wins. Both parties only get hurt in the end.

That’s why I stopped hating people since then. As a result, good things started happening in my life. Everything has fallen into its proper place. Everything is in perfect harmony. I have been at peace with myself more than ever. Indeed, living well is the best revenge!

I have come to realize that hatred is just a waste of time and energy. After all, “Nobody can hurt me without my permission…”

I guess part of life is learning how to put the past behind us. And whether we like it or not, we will always come across people who are capable of hurting us one way or another. But never ever allow bitterness, anger, hurt and anxiety to keep us from moving forward. Remember that whatever we do or feel at present affects our future.

So let’s all be happy. Cheers!