There is this popular phrase that goes, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” This phrase holds great meaning for us human beings because mistakes are something we make a lot. In fact, from our childhood days, that’s how we learn basically. Every time we make a mistake, we learn and every time we learn, we become wiser.

When we grow older, our mistakes tend to get bigger too and so are the lessons associated with those mistakes. There is one thing that changes however. When we grow older, our mistakes not only have bad effects on ourselves, but they may also harm other people, be it physically or emotionally and be it strangers or our loved ones.

That’s why we are all so afraid of making any mistakes and that’s also the reason why we hold so much grudge against the people who we think have wronged us. But I want to ask you. Intentionally or not, if people make mistakes that hurt you in anyway, do they deserve a second chance?

Mistakes Are Necessary

First of all I want to discuss why mistakes are so necessary. Yes, we all learn from the ones that we make ourselves and that is often enough to keep improving yourself in various areas. In fact that’s how the brain learns. It overwrites new data on top of the old data and uses sleep time to reorganize all of that and improve your further.

But we also learn from other people’s mistakes. Say, a friend of yours did something that landed them into a difficult situation. The next time you are faced with a similar situation, you will be reminded of the mistakes your friend made and you will most probably not do the same as them and you will be saved.

The sad thing is that the younger generation is not realizing this. Maybe it’s how they are raised or maybe it’s the humiliation that is often associated with making mistakes but younger people are more afraid of making mistakes than ever and that should change.

Forgive But Don’t Forget

Now, comes the part I really want to discuss and that is all about second chances. Although I understand that it is so natural for us humans to make mistakes, it can really hurt when someone’s mistakes affects you in any way. It hurts even more if they are not even aware of it. And in the worst cases, it might be even intentional.

So, what do you do in such situations? Whether or not the other person apologizes, you really have two options. Either you can hold a grudge against them for your entire life or you can forgive them and give them a second chance. I truly believe that everyone deserves a second chance and if you feel like the person is ready to change, you should really give them a chance.

Also, forgiving someone is really important for your peace as well. Have you felt how peaceful it feels when you just forgive someone and let go? That’s why maybe in the phrase above it is called “divine”. So, yeah, next time you feel like holding a grudge, try forgiving them, but yes, I would like to give you one piece of advice. Forgive but don’t forget.