Marina Cantacuzino

The shortest word for forgiveness: freedom

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Speaker
Marina Cantacuzino
Country
United Kingdom
Published
June 2020
Director's Note
Forgiveness can be hard to define. Marina offers two descriptions of what she sees behind that word: Freedom and a violet flower...
Full Transcript
I find forgiveness very difficult to define, because probably it has multiple meanings. So my definitions change over time. The shortest word is it means freedom. But it has to, and letting go of unresolved pain. It's more than moving on. It's more than letting go. It's more than accepting because it requires a degree of compassion and empathy which of course is very difficult when there's been severe wounds. My favorite quote about forgiveness is not even a definition. It's a description. It's Mark Twain the writer, the American writer. He says, "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushes it." And the reason I liked that image is because it shows forgiveness grows out of damage. It's messy but it's potentially healing.
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