Forgiveness
Two of my favorite plays are “Angels in America” by Tony Kushner, and “Measure for Measure” by William Shakespeare. I’ve long wondered why these two plays are so attractive to me. I figured it out. It is because they are contain scenes of great Forgiveness.
For those who don’t know "Angels", the scene is nurse Belize calling in Louis to say the Jewish prayer for the dead, for Roy Cohn. Louis is appalled <
Louis: I’m not say any f*cking Kaddish for him. The drugs, OK, sure, but no f*cking way am I praying for him. My New Deal Pinko Parents would never forgive me, they’re already disappointed, “He’s a fag, he’s an office temp, and now look, he’s saying Kaddish for Roy Cohn.” I can’t believe you’d actually pray for him.
Belize: Louis, I’d even pray for you.
He was a terrible person. He died a hard death. So maybe…A queen can forgive her vanquished foe. It isn’t easy, it doesn’t count if it’s easy, it’s the hardest thing. Forgiveness. Maybe that’s where Love and Justice finally meet.”
And so Louis does, assisted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg,Roy’s most bitter enemy, whom Roy destroyed. We saw her ghost earlier in the play saying to the dying Roy that she could never forgive him.
In “Measure for Measure”, a young novice is asked to beg for the life of a man who blackmailed her into sleeping with him and then broke his promise, executing her brother anyway. (We find out these are not so, but at the time she doesn’t know this. All she knows is she is being asked by some one else to ask for mercy on him. And she does.)
I’ve been seriously hurt by at least 3 people in my life. And I am ashamed to say I once hurt some one very badly. At the time I was hurt I was angry, bitter and wished them as much ill as possible. One of the person's actions still ‘haunts’ me and will follow my career perhaps until the end. I don’t know how others can forgive more serious hurts.
The one I hurt is dead, and I hope he sits next to God and has long ago forgiven me.
I know that I struggle still to forgive the ones who hurt me. Only in doing so can I move on.
Forgiveness may be the highest test of being human.
For those who don’t know "Angels", the scene is nurse Belize calling in Louis to say the Jewish prayer for the dead, for Roy Cohn. Louis is appalled <
Louis: I’m not say any f*cking Kaddish for him. The drugs, OK, sure, but no f*cking way am I praying for him. My New Deal Pinko Parents would never forgive me, they’re already disappointed, “He’s a fag, he’s an office temp, and now look, he’s saying Kaddish for Roy Cohn.” I can’t believe you’d actually pray for him.
Belize: Louis, I’d even pray for you.
He was a terrible person. He died a hard death. So maybe…A queen can forgive her vanquished foe. It isn’t easy, it doesn’t count if it’s easy, it’s the hardest thing. Forgiveness. Maybe that’s where Love and Justice finally meet.”
And so Louis does, assisted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg,Roy’s most bitter enemy, whom Roy destroyed. We saw her ghost earlier in the play saying to the dying Roy that she could never forgive him.
In “Measure for Measure”, a young novice is asked to beg for the life of a man who blackmailed her into sleeping with him and then broke his promise, executing her brother anyway. (We find out these are not so, but at the time she doesn’t know this. All she knows is she is being asked by some one else to ask for mercy on him. And she does.)
I’ve been seriously hurt by at least 3 people in my life. And I am ashamed to say I once hurt some one very badly. At the time I was hurt I was angry, bitter and wished them as much ill as possible. One of the person's actions still ‘haunts’ me and will follow my career perhaps until the end. I don’t know how others can forgive more serious hurts.
The one I hurt is dead, and I hope he sits next to God and has long ago forgiven me.
I know that I struggle still to forgive the ones who hurt me. Only in doing so can I move on.
Forgiveness may be the highest test of being human.
posted by Ur-spo at 7:20 AM
14 Comments:
Well stated, Ur-spo. I have always loved the line in the prayer attributed to St. Francis: "...it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned."
More easily said than done. We must overcome ourselves.
I think that forgiveness of any sort is key for living. We must learn to constantly forgive people, loved ones and even strangers,in order to stay sane.
This is beautifully told, and so very true. It brings to mind that saying of Jesus... to whom little is forgiven, loves little.
To be - the ability to truly forgive is the act of a saint - the rest of us fall in the area of just mortal men...
I am so just a mortal man...
The Roy Cohn death scene is one of the most beautifully written pieces of art ever conceived. If you're not moved by it your heartless or dead, though I suppose an argument can be made that if you're dead you're already heartless, since it doesn't work anymore, so perhaps that's redundant.
Well said. Amen.
The hardest is to forgive ourselves, sometimes.
Joe.
Michael, what an awesome topic. I am inspired to write more about it in my blog tonight. I am confident that anyone sitting next to God has forgiven you...know that you have done all that you can to obtain that forgiveness, and move on, doing good for those around you.
Your post topic is interesting. Saturday evening I will walk into a gala party where my arch nemesis--the man who had an on-going affair with my BF--will be. I've avoided this confrontation for three years now. It's time. I need to rise above the situation; it's times like this that make me appreciate my acute study of Jackie Kennedy's ability to walk through a crowd without 'seeing' anyone in particular. I will not forget. I will not forgive.
"We msut overcome ourselves"
It doesn't get any more pure or true than that!
What a beautiful post. Your writing always impresses me but today was more special than usual.
I have worked at forgiveness for most of the past 4 years. I have forgiven many of the people that have caused me harm. The one person I have not been able to forgive is my ex-boyfriend. He did so much harm on his way out the door that it will take many years for it to heal. In the meantime I try not to dwell on it.
To err is human, to forgive is divine.
Spo...
It is the highest test my friend. Often to forgive is to humble oneself and to learn to trust and love again. I can't believe how appropos your post is tonight after spending nearly 4 hours at my sisters discussing a myriad of personal issues that I can not go into here.
Thank you for sharing.
HELLO
HAVE A NICE DAY
KISSES
Forgiveness is "the highest test of being human"? I don't believe in that sort of thing. Just swallow the other guy whole and you're even.
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