宽容的心

随便

THE STENCH OF HATRED
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, K8 o2 X% K/ LA kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.
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) ?% _1 r3 v! U6 D- zThe teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic
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# r; g: s3 s7 H" S. hbag 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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5 |% W7 v9 z! L8 Ga child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number
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of people he/she hates.
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0 P1 t5 S# {8 dSo when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with

8 \, |) U  c+ V8 L- ~) Wthe name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.

& J2 O5 b$ ]3 c! q; X& C2 ?" AThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes
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5 E8 e: T8 e( |2 I' D7 rin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

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,

those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1
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$ t8 L2 X4 V. Y$ K, O# bweek, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.
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The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
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, c% i' P- c2 o3 u) x/ P* wwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and
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7 ^, h- l0 g- ?3 l# J8 U# Mstarted complaining of the trouble that they had to go through

having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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4 O( M. |4 ^  y# NThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

The 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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. Z2 f) W" q2 ]( i* Jwill contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

& B" T3 R' T0 W0 z- `8 m. ?! ^1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred
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" y. |$ K7 |) W2 @: Tin your heart for your lifetime???"

4 `9 l5 s, V4 a"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;
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2 E) O! I, {  d% I2 u# u7 Uit is something you do for yourself.

" M% X" D" ~& }! _& pGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.