I believe that forgiveness is a very important and necessary process to help someone live a life full of happiness and peace. By forgiving others, you make room in your life for new feelings and emotions. As the quote that I chose suggests, you are then able to be happy.

In my day to day life, I practice forgiveness, but nothing compared to what Katy Hutchison did in “Walking After Midnight”. It is much easier to forgive people for the insignificant little things in life that may happen. For example, if I get into a fight with my brother or sister, if I’m having a disagreement among my friends or with my parents, these are easier situations to forgive. But, once something happens in an extreme case, like in “Walking After Midnight”, I am not sure I would have reacted in the same way. Initially, I think that I would have been angry and devasted, furious that someone could do that to someone else, I would maybe even want revenge. But I think that as time would go on, I would realize that my grief was blinding me and keeping me from moving and doing the right thing, and at that time, I would be willing to forgive.

It’s hard to apologize to people that we have hurt because we always want to be right, and sometimes, we don’t realize how much of an impact our actions can have on others. Some people accept the fact that they are wrong, realize what they did, and apologize. Others cannot comprehend the idea of them being mistaken. To apologize, you must first realize that you are wrong, then be brave enough to actually admit to it. Personally, there are times where I find myself arguing with my parents or my siblings. Most of these times, I get too caught up in trying to prove my point and show them that I am right, to actually see that I am mistaken.

I think that with the help of Restorative Justice, we can grow as individuals. We can come to realize that revenge isn’t the answer, and we can learn how to forgive, let go, and move on. With the process of Restorative Justice, we are working together with someone else to slowly forgive one another. Once we have forgiven each other, it is then easier to let go, and move on.