We are being told that forgiveness is a virtue. That when we forgive, we let go of the bad and negative energy and it will help us heal better. It is always easy to preach forgiveness but there are some things that someone would do that will be difficult to let go.
I believe forgiveness should be a personal choice we make for ourselves because it's not always easy to forgive. No one should be faulted should they choose not to forgive others when a wrong is done to them.
I also believe that forgiveness might be easy when the offenders understands the gravity of what they had done and seeks to make amends by tendering a sincere apology. It might take a while but maybe in time, all parties can come together to finally express their feelings and further make amends.
So my answer to these questions belo are;
Do we always have to forgive?
Everyone loves forgiveness until it's time to forgive. Though it is highly encouraged, but I will say No. We don't always have to forgive. It should be our personal decision. If forgiving the person will help our well-being and help us heal,then by all means, we can forgive. But if not, then it might not be required.
You are the most important person in your life, so choose yourself first. If you believe you're capable of letting go and stop giving the offender the power over your emotions, then it's best to forgive.
Why forgive someone who doesn't deserve forgiveness?
Yes, some people don't deserve forgiveness. These are people who feel no iota of remorse for what they have done and make no move to apologize or make amends.
Note that, some people might not even know the offence they had committed(they probably did it unintentionally). Hence, the reason why the apology we are awaiting was not forthcoming. I don't think people like that fits into this category.
I am talking about people who consciously and deliberately wrongs you and after telling them what they had done, they made it clear they are not sorry for what they did to you, I don't think people like that should be worth anyone's time.
I personally wouldn't be bothered, that person is out of my life and nothing would make me welcome them back.
Again, it depends on the person who was offended.
Should we always forgive?
I personally will forgive because I learned from personal experiences that holding on to the anger would be hurting me more and I was letting my offender win because I am giving them the power to control my emotions still. But one thing is that sometimes when I forgive, I will never forget and I will keep my distance.
No one is perfect and thus we are bound to offend one another or step on each other's toes. Some of the things we do to offend others might not always be intentional. So for someone with genuine intentions, we should endeavour to make sincere apologies and in time maybe we can earn back their trust.
Thank you all for reading.
This is my entry to the first question posed by @cautiva-30 for the ladies of hive contest. There's still time if you want to join in.