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THE STENCH OF HATRED
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A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.
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3 S2 R/ e" G' \. B$ p7 \/ EThe teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic
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bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name
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of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that
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a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number ' y: n% f r j' R' V9 ^
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of people he/she hates. $ B8 ^8 P% O$ ?4 e; Z% E
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So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with 0 j5 q W2 ]% z, H5 I2 ?- C
% X1 X/ e% t. Q7 [the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.
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The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes
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" E$ ?! v# V. k4 y% Fin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.
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Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,
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6 J% v& V) O" e% V; e3 Uthose having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1
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+ A0 C5 d+ Q. w5 v0 Vweek, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended. 1 F" O% I+ a r0 R
4 @; \! ]) \& A, y; bThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
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; A" j R2 `& u, c( R5 o5 P* [! w$ W1 uwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and 2 J% C4 k) e3 o$ n
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started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through 7 w9 E$ Z/ [; f' m4 [' f
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having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go. * L+ `4 n: B$ |7 k: u0 g
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Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.
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( |! _, u0 K" M* y' MThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred
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( j3 s& }0 U8 i" Q" Q3 Lwill contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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5 c- u2 n- Q% G( eyou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just
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; N0 @" v& n0 Y' r# E# L9 ?0 G1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred 4 e" T& r1 |( z5 M/ r" n' P
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in your heart for your lifetime???"
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"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else; ; W' i2 D( q9 p q& C# |
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it is something you do for yourself. 6 O7 [2 r( N: ]+ g& D! _8 h% {
3 Y1 S3 T' F- d$ @1 C7 K2 C- H6 HGive yourself the gift of forgiveness" |
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