Forgiveness has always come easy for me.

[WeekiWater]

I have been really hurt many times in my life. I'm talking serious harm where it often takes a considerable period of time to recover. The situations I'm referencing, in very general terms, were wrongs done by individuals with the purpose being harm or were displays of extreme selfishness.

Forgiveness is something I pride myself on. Some of those who have harmed me are good friends today. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. A part of it does mean not holding or using it against an individual.

I'm finding that I cannot forgive Trump voters. I just can't and it really bothers me. Some of these voters are people close to me and are generally very good people. How do I justify forgiveness? How can I call them good people and say they voted for Trump? Those two things do not compute. They haven't just harmed me. They have unleashed harm on the world.

The main thing that seems to be hanging me up in the forgiveness department is that it was blatantly clear who Trump was before the election. It was clear he was a sick and perverse man who goes against the teachings of mainstream Christianity, was proud of his ability to foment hatred among Americans, views people as less than simply because of background or the color of their skin or gender, was a complete fraud since his teenage years, was open to taking assistance from hostile foreign powers in order to achieve power himself, screwed tens of thousand of Americans out of their pay and fraudulent took their money under false pretense.... The list goes on and all of this was extremely clear before the first vote was cast.

I didn't expect a number of the people I know to vote for Clinton. I did expect them to leave that spot blank on the ballot or do a protest vote. Instead many of them flat out supported the monster. Some still do today, some don't.

Maybe I can't find forgiveness for them because they have harmed others far more than myself. It's easier for me to forgive when I am the only party harmed. Do I have the right to forgive someone who has unleashed harm on others?

I sit here today as someone who is holding a grudge against close family, friends and strangers. I can't find forgiveness for them. I don't like who I currently am. Forgiveness is important to me. It's necessary in order to move forward in productive relationships.

My apologies for the poor grammar and abuse of past and present tense. I try to make my words clear but am not the best of writers. Thanks for reading my ramble.

[bigbrother05]

1. Forgiveness follows remorse, recognition of past failings

When a GOP voter can face up to being uninformed or willful, then owns their mistake, forgiveness and healing can follow.

It sounds like many you know are refusing to admit to the truth and haven't attempted to earn back your trust. That's their loss.

We can only hope for the best from our friends/family and a quick resolution to this nightmare and reverse the harm as quickly as possible.

BTW, your writing is fine, please continue to share your voice.

[marylandblue]

2. Forgiveness comes easy to me, and I forgive Trump voters

I never really blamed them in the first place. People can see only what they want to see. The picture is always distorted by their emotions, especially fears and wishful thinking, by what they see on TV or the internet, and their daily problems. So I don't look at what people do wrong, I look at what drove them to make such mistakes in the first place. And when I look at that, I sympathize and forgive them.

One of my relatives voted for Trump. She was afraid of MS-13. She is a very fearful person in her daily life. She's made some silly decisions based on unreasonable fear. She doesn't know how much fear was part of those decisions. It's clear that Trump's rhetoric of fear resonated deeply with her. So I see her as someone suffering in fear, rather than a "bad" Trump voter.

[UTUSN]

3. K&R here signifies *agreement*!