h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesh... and you need to fall in love with yourself before you can fall in love with someone else.

Man, such a trite idea. I'm almost ashamed to post this...

Its also true though! you can't truly accept from or give love to another till you can give and accept it fully from and in yourself!

photos of me and the beloved.

http://public.fotki.com/CliveOstrich/christmas_in_americ/christmas_in_americ.html

....AWWWW!!! That's sooo adorable!!!! YAY!!!

http://www.wowzone.com/wowintro.htm

wish only well to all of you!

I happen to believe that the only sources of forgiveness are other people or if you choose to believe, your God whoever or whatever that may be.

Forgiving oneself is easy, being forgiven by any God requires selfless and unconditional repentance; being forgiven by fellow humans requires reparations. Being forgiven by oneself only requires a reaffirmastion and perpetration of ones own desires for self-justification and selfishness.

Actually we only feel the ned to seek from others what we cannot or will not give ourselves! ask any cognitive psychologist..and one thing that will never lead topeace of mind is guilt (and repetance!) feelings are pue and only give of themselves, guilt can only be guilty and breed guilt, love can only love etc..

Hi! How many cognitive psycholgists do you know? I'm curious as to what people think how guilt is related to repentence.

I'm not sure I'd agree that being forgiven by humans requires reparations. There are many things that may require forgiveness, but which can't be compensated for.

Someone who honestly feels they can't keep a relationship going might want forgiveness for ending things even if they had no other honest choice. What can they give in compensation?

Someone who cheats on their other half might want to be forgiven, but what would reparations in that case be? I'd have thought the most important thing their partner would want (if prepared to take them back) was some kind of confidence that a repeat was unlikely.

It's a faith/religion issue. You can be forgiven by your God by virtue of your faith's doctrine. Anyone forgiven by their own God is ipso facto forgiven. But, to be forgiven by someone who worships a different God (or none at all) it is not enough to be forgiven by ones own God. The person needs to make reparations to another human being or to the God (if they have one) that they worship.

Why drag an "imaginary friend" into it?

Looking for forgiveness by your god is a cop-out, especially in the Christian faith. Forgiving yourself, however, is an entirely different matter. It means that you've faced your own demons and dealt with them. You are your own worst critic and being able to look inside yourself and like what you see is far more rewarding than relying purely on faith.

I live by the adage "Do as you would be done by" - in other words treat people with respect, and be nice.

I am more spiritual than religious, and I prefer to keep religion out of my relationships with other people, simply to avoid conflicts.

I expect to meet my Maker on the day I die, and we'll discuss any issues he has with the life I've led then.

There are things I've done which I feel terrible about - things I can't forgive myself for, and the weight drags me down. Who can forgive me for the mistakes I've made? But I can't spend the rest of my life feeling guilty over the past, or things I can't alter now, and other people have moved on. I don't have a time machine to go back and "correct" those mistakes, I'm here now as a result of every decision I've ever made.
And I am only a few billion cells that have culminated to make me, and I'm only here for a while, in global terms.
What difference do I make.
Has my contribution to this life been good, or not?
Weighing up the good I've done, against the mistakes I've made and pain I've caused?
I'll leave it till my last day, and find out then.

I'll send you a postcard.

I agree fords and Galaxy

learn from past
live life for present
embrace the future

at school we had fake delfs blue with following text
"some one who does not make mistakes does not learn. learn from your mistakes."

at least that is what I remember what said I could be wrong. it was atleast 20 years ago that I saw it.

We can't go back to alter our mistakes no..just be willing to forgive ourselves for them and feeling guilty about them! It's hard..but bloody rewarding as Fords said.

I rather want some gossip

serephina, what is up with you and 2legs?

nice picture of the migratory ostrich and his gal

- - -

i (try) to forgive myself as i (try to) forgive others (and vice versa)

however, sometimes i know others don't forgive me - and that bugs me (depending on who these others are, though. i desperately crave forgiveness from some and couldn't care a fetid dingos kidneys if other do or don't forgive me.)

and please let's leave bob out of this, shall we. there's too much mumbo-jumbo in this world even without him/her

Err theres nothing 'up 'with with n 2legs! hes a mate..and thats as far as it goes no matter what hed like

I don't have any gossip im afraid..well i do, but your'e not getting it

... What, I wonder, should atheists do about forgiveness!??... DO they miss out!??