Book - Why Forgive? by Johann Christoph Arnold

 Summary

Relationships dynamics are similar to climbing anything including a tree, a pole, flight of stairs and mountains etc. An important variable standing between a climber and a vertical object is friction. It is so dominant as it is invisible. No upward movement is possible without full acceptance of friction and cooperation with it. For a step to be successfully made, the whole person must be involved. Friction is an inherent part of relationships and it cannot be deleted no matter how hard one tries. The inner nudge to accept friction and cooperate with it towards relationship renewal is equally inherent in human beings. Many factors contribute to reduced awareness of the inherent reality of friction in relationships.

Unwillingness to accept friction and cooperate with it towards renewing relationships for various reasons and none is the source of extended misunderstanding, long-suffering, anguish, self-destruction, incompleteness, breaks in relationships and deaths. However, accepting it and cooperating with it in renewing relationships is a conditional path to forgiveness. The whole person - body, mind and spirit must participate as a composite unit to achieve forgiveness.

So in Why Forgive? Arnold presents forgiveness as a critical & inherent human value that is inevitable for authentic living, purposeful experience and successful relationships even if the other rejects it. Therefore, what is forgiveness? Who needs forgive? Who should forgive? How does one truly forgive? Is it a process or a decision or both? Is it easy? Does all law court wins bring satisfaction and closure? Do believers/religious have an advantage? Is anyone beyond forgiveness? Can living be joyful with unforgiveness?

Learn more by reading a compilation of insightful experiences of different persons in post-truth societies and increasingly 'nones' significant spaces, and draw your own conclusions.*

Life is beautiful! 

* Nones denotes persons who identify themselves as lacking of belief in the Creator God and unconnected with any religious group.