Forgiveness

Over these past few weeks I was able to read the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. I had to read this novel for one of my classes this semester.

I was told to write an essay basically answering why Frankenstein went from being a highly intelligent, reflective, and sensitive person to a horrific monster.  

Basically, I was able to compare this prompt to my life! 

Human Developments are very important stages in every individual's upbringing. It is very important to go through each of the stages in order to fully grow and be emotionally and mentally secure.

You may be wondering how this has anything to do with my life...

I currently have an individual in my life that I have no steady contact with. I constantly felt shame and disapproval when around this individual. I realized this relationship wasn't healthy and I needed to set limits to protect myself. 

I wondered for the longest time how one individual was capable of hurting so many people around him/her. 

The answer was there all the time: It is a learned behavior!

Frankenstein learned to hate humans because of their lack of attention and social interactions. 

This individual I have in my life has learned to push people away, take the negative from every situation, and push problems onto others. He/She learned these behaviors from their parent and will never fully understand the wrong choices they make. 

The real question I had: How can you blame someone for something they do not know they do wrong?

My answer: It may not be their fault that they are the way they are, but it is their fault they treat you the way they do. BUT DO NOT BLAME THEM FOR ANYTHING!  Blame really takes everything out of you! Honestly, I never fully understood how forgiving someone can open your mind to so many new things! 

I do not forgive this individual for everything they did wrong, I forgave them for not understanding. I learned I can still be upset for the things they did in the past, but I should not be upset for something they are doing now. 

I learned to protect myself from this individual. Anything they choose to do now cannot hurt me because I refuse to let it. 

I hope this helps some of you, if not I hope you can learn my story. 

xoxo,

Alexis