Siblings: How different are they, 5

 

I have read that forgiveness is important for health and longevity but I do not feel like forgiving my family for punishing me because I was not like my siblings. Did you forgive your family?

 Absolutely. True, it took me a while to figure out who I am innately and stop trying to be who I am not. However, I cannot afford to be unforgiving because I am aiming to live to be a supercentenarian with good mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual (the spirit with which I live life) health. Research by internationally renowned cardiologist, Herbert Benson, MD, coined the phrase:  Physiology of ForgivenessÒ. His research has shown that an inability to forgive other people’s faults (or your own) is harmful to your health. We each only know what we know, and that includes other family members. In my case, painful though it was, I doubt it had anything to do with “malice aforethought.” Rather it stemmed from a lack of knowledge and puzzlement. Knowledge has power—one reason for continuing to gain knowledge. As we know better, we can do better. For me, that includes forgiving ignorance—for my health and longevity.