Learning to Forgive Others May Let Us Be Happier
When others do bad things and hurt you, what do you do? Forgive (原谅) them stay angry? Confucius, one of the greatest t in ancient China, showed his answer to his question in The Analects of Confucius (《论语》).
Confucius said, "Don't mention what is past; don't undo what is cast; don't grasp what is blast." If a person h him, Confucius said, he would forgive him. In his mind, people are not saint (圣人) and no one can avoid (make) mistakes and doing bad things. If people just r others' bad actions, they will become unhappy and narrow-minded (心胸狭窄的) . So, why not let the bad things of the past go and look at the future?
The story of Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi (齐桓公) during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) is a good e.
Guan Zhong once (try) to kill Duke Huan of Qi. But when the duke knew that Guan had the ability to l after his kingdom (王国) , he didn't hold onto Guan's past mistakes. On the contrary, he forgave him. So, Guan devoted himself to (致力于) helping the duke with all his heart and soul. Together, they made the kingdom (good).
But letting go of bad things in the past doesn't mean forgetting them. I, we should learn from them so that we don't make the same mistakes.
