Forgiveness is one of the most liberating acts that a person can choose. It brings peace, lightness, and a sense of freedom. Holding a grudge weighs down the soul, both physically and mentally. This article explores the impact of forgiveness and why letting go of anger can transform your life.
The Cost of Anger
Anger is like paying a daily subscription fee for misery. Imagine paying $50 a day just to hold onto anger. It manifests in belly pains, disrupts intimacy, and keeps your mind constantly agitated. Your nervous system becomes a wreck, and peace of mind seems out of reach. The true cost of holding onto anger adds up—emotionally, mentally, and physically. Meanwhile, forgiveness costs nothing but has the power to relieve all of these burdens instantly.
By holding onto anger, we are producing poison. We prepare for confrontations—whether with an ex-lover or someone with a different political opinion—and it feels as though we’re ready to vomit. We’ve rehearsed all the arguments. Just as thinking about ice cream makes us salivate, thinking about fights activates our fight-or-flight response. This is measurable. When we constantly visualize conflicts and focus on those we don’t forgive, our nervous system, digestive system, and inner organs become exhausted, as if we had been fighting all day long. There’s a very big price to pay.
And then when someone reaches out with kindness, we can’t even take it in, because we’re too busy not forgiving someone else.
A World Without Forgiveness
Imagine a world where no one ever forgave. Human history would be stuck in an endless cycle of retaliation, with every wrong needing to be repaid—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The suffering would only multiply, and there would be no escape from the pain.
Consider how different the world could be if forgiveness became the norm. What if there was two times more forgiveness or even ten times more? Human relationships would be much lighter, and societies would thrive with compassion and understanding. By choosing forgiveness, we give ourselves and others the space to heal, creating a more peaceful world.
The Weight of a Grudge
Holding a grudge is like carrying a heavy financial burden. Imagine signing up for a free trial of resentment, but then being charged month after month as the subscription kicks in. Over time, grudges cost more than we realize. Emotionally, they build walls that keep people out, preventing intimacy and happiness. They gnaw away at our stomachs and our minds
Revenge seems like the way to regain control, but it never leads to peace. Instead, grudges keep us constantly prepared for conflict, draining our energy. When someone offers kindness, we might not even notice it, being too wrapped up in our unresolved anger. The subscription fee for holding onto these feelings is high, and it takes a serious toll on our well-being.
Finding Peace
Forgiveness doesn’t mean letting others walk all over us. It’s important to stand our ground and maintain our dignity. We must say what needs to be said and express what needs to be expressed. But once the anger no longer serves us, it’s time to let go. So much of our suffering comes from not forgiving.
Many people struggle with forgiveness. They say, “I can’t forgive”, and they may feel stuck. The truth is, you often can’t forgive because you haven’t fully processed your anger. Anger needs to surface fully into consciousness before it can be released. There are two stages: first, be fully angry. You don’t have to physically be with the person; you can imagine saying everything you need to say, in exactly the tone you feel it, in your bones.
Then, once the anger has been expressed, there must be a willingness to let go. Only then can true forgiveness happen. But people are often afraid to let go, fearing that without anger, revenge, or violence, they will be hurt again.
The Subscription of Anger
Anger, like any subscription, adds up over time. We might hold onto $50 worth of resentment toward an ex-lover, $200 toward a parent, and $500 for political disagreements. Each grudge adds to the emotional bill, and soon, we find ourselves broke—emotionally, mentally, and even physically. We pay dearly for not letting go and end up losing out on love, peace, and health.
Forgiveness, on the other hand, frees us from these costs. By managing both our anger and our forgiveness, we can save emotional resources for what truly matters: peace, love, and happiness.
Conclusion: Choose Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the key to a peaceful and fulfilling life. By releasing anger and resentment, we free ourselves so that we may experience love, intimacy, and happiness. Life’s true meaning comes from these moments of peace and connection, which we can only reach through the practice of forgiveness.
This article was transcribed and edited by Victor from the following video: