I see QT's point; in a spiritual sense when one carries anger, there is a misery that comes along with it. I have a lot of good in my life now and I'm not miserable, but there is this hue of "pain" I carry which I know if I can release it, I probably would have much stronger personal relationships and maybe even have better energy.
In another sense, it's pretty hard to release it.
I tried to forgive the "hiv" ex. Two years after the fact, he came back to tell me he still loved me more than life. I don't want to get into all the details, but I had moved on, was SO over him but still wanted that apology. I felt if I got an apology, I would be able to move on.
When I went to therapy after all this, the therapist told him I had post traumatic stress disorder and to let go was going to take work. I put in the work, and moved on pretty well, but then there was always something to remind me.
Really, I think of my hiv ex and could care less, so yes it's been 12 yrs this June, and I don't love him, don't think about him or even care, but there are something called triggers with PSTD and when I get them, the pain is just as fresh.
Now, with the last ex, well he knew how badly I was hurt and what happened to me, so you would think any "normal" human would be sensitive to that.
He wasn't and I won't get into detail cause he posts here and I don't want to get banned, but he did so much harm to me, that the triggers from the past were brutal!
I was with a man for 2 yrs before hiv ex and the last ex. He was not a nice guy, but this guy saw me at a bar years after we ended it, bought me a drink, apologized for his actions and I hugged him, told him it was ok and we actually would email once a while to say hello.
I TOTALLY forgave him and never even once thought about his actions.
Hiv Ex and the last ex, never took responsibility for what they did, caused so much damage and I never got a sincere apology and I never will, so forgiving them has been really tough.
Like Cindy said, I made this thread because of something her and I talked about and it got me thinking. I want to forgive these people, They are people who are so damaged and I truly believe it wasn't personal what they did, so I need to dig deep into my Buddhist soul and let it go.
On many levels I loved these people in the past and it wasn't all bad. I had many good years and many good times with both of them, and I want to focus on that, but it's so hard for me to do.
It feels WRONG to hate, even though that hate and sustained me to change my life, now I don't need it anymore and am trying to let it go