Forgiveness and a Rush to Judgment
I find myself thinking about forgiveness these days, partly because my job and partly because what is happening in our world.
What makes it harder to forgive is that we make snap decisions based on little to no evidence. We rush to judge. There is even research that demonstrates how people dig in even more when you challenge them with the facts. Facts do not change their minds, our minds. Once we make up our minds, we reinforce them with evidence that supports us, ignoring evidence that contradicts our position.
Here is my challenge to all of us this week: When you find yourself having a struggle with forgiveness, ask yourself if you have enough information to make a sound decision. Have you looked at the situation from multiple perspectives? Do you have the right to judge another person?
When Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge?” I was absolutely blown away.
I find myself thinking about forgiveness these days, partly because my job and partly because what is happening in our world.
What makes it harder to forgive is that we make snap decisions based on little to no evidence. We rush to judge. There is even research that demonstrates how people dig in even more when you challenge them with the facts. Facts do not change their minds, our minds. Once we make up our minds, we reinforce them with evidence that supports us, ignoring evidence that contradicts our position.
Here is my challenge to all of us this week: When you find yourself having a struggle with forgiveness, ask yourself if you have enough information to make a sound decision. Have you looked at the situation from multiple perspectives? Do you have the right to judge another person?
When Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge?” I was absolutely blown away.
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