Evolution is the process of constant movement and change that happens to everything. It happens in direct relationship to the environment. Environment is the evolutionary process of all things present. Environment dictates the direction and limitations of evolution. Evolution cannot be stopped. Despite how much we may resist or fight it, evolution moves forward bound to the present. However, this process can happen with or without intention. This essay focuses on one natural process of intentional evolution made possible only to life: Forgiveness.
Life has a natural and novel way of evolving: Conscious Intention. Intentional evolution requires work and ownership of present choice. We intentionally influence evolution when we are present and connected with the current moment. We resist evolution psychologically by viewing ourselves in a way that is disconnected from present. Forgiveness is the intentional choice to influence the psychological and relational environment in order to align oneself with the current reality. Forgiveness is the intentional work process it takes to release past perceptions and to realize current power through choice. This allows for a fuller potential to survive, self-actualize and heal.
On a large scale I am proposing that we start to look at our psychological and relational selves in light of intentional evolution. For this essay I intend to define the process of forgiveness in a way that is consistent with intentional evolution.
In this essay I will follow the definition of Evolution by Lynn Margulis (Symbiotic Planent, pg 24):
Evolution, defined simply as change through time, brings into focus the convoluted history of which we are the living legacy. The study of evolution is vast enough to include the cosmos and its stars as well as life, including human life, and our bodies and our technologies. Evolution is simply all of history.
I am proposing the following defined process for forgiveness.
There are three steps to forgiveness:
1) Acknowledging your past. You have been harmed. You have been hurt. You were neglected. You were betrayed. You were not cared for. You were forced. You were powerless.
2) Be aware of your present. You can leave. You can hold a boundary. You can say no. You can ask for help. You can adjust your perspective. You can use your voice. You can move.
3) Move towards the future by intentionally owning your perspective. You will not repeat the harm. You will do what is necessary to address the wound so it can heal. You will focus on not allowing the harm to limit who you are becoming. You will use the experience to make you stronger.
Note: this process does not require participation or acknowledgement from the perpetrator of the harm. No need to let anyone off of the hook or forget that harm happened.
No one asked you if you wanted to be born. No one asked you if you had a preference on parents, date and location of birth, gender, or anything else. You were born from life without a choice. The human development process from infancy to adulthood is the process of growing and developing the ability to be aware of and own one’s choices. This is the key to intentionally influencing the process of evolution. Forgiveness is the ultimate choice for consciousness to intentionally interact with evolution to move towards healing and empowerment. I define healing as self-actualizing in order to maximize one’s power and influence through perception and choice.
The process of forgiveness as defined above is one of decreasing our reactive resistance and increasing our intentional proactive influence. We cannot create life, but we can affect the process of life. In fact we cannot help but affect it. Forgiveness is owning that we can affect life in a way that allows us to establish a nurturing environment for past trauma to increase our likely hood of survival, self-actualization and healing. All life is on some level conscious. As far as I am currently aware, humans are the only expression of life that has the capacity to use the process of forgiveness. It may just be the process that keeps us from going extinct and hopefully eliminates unnecessary suffering. Ultimately, forgiveness is about allowing our perception to be present with current reality in order to intentionally affect evolution. If we can resolve the past we leave a different starting point for those that come after us. Just like if we leave a greener Earth, our intentional impact on the environment (physical or psychological) does affect the direction of the evolution of following generations.
(Originally written for the Writing Life class taught by Charles Mudede on July 5, 2016 at Hugo House in Seattle Washington. Photo taken with an iPhone 6s. Unauthorized use prohibited.)
atta dawahare 