Professor, Iowa State University
Nathaniel Wade is a professor of psychology at Iowa State University. He is interested in the psychology of forgiveness and religion, particularly as they are applied in counselling and therapy settings. He lives in Ames, Iowa.
Forgive and be free
Nathaniel WadeHello and thank you all for your comments. I appreciate these different perspectives. Jan, your story is very moving and so sad. I am sorry for your difficulties and agree that forgiveness is not for everyone in every hurtful situation. Anita and Hoeffler, you make important points along this line, too. Anger, justice, and seeking compensation are all legitimate reactions to injustice. Highlighted in these comments is that not all hurts are equal. There are things that people do (like recklessly driving and permanently injurying a child without taking responsibility) that are truly terrible and require a different response than, say, being unfairly yelled at by one’s employer. I would als...