宽容的心

随便

THE STENCH OF HATRED


A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.
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The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic

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
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% |+ R0 Q* `5 Q6 O6 {- d" h% |of people he/she hates.

& ^1 m) W0 M+ K' t3 q% K( c# h* hSo when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
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the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some

0 W2 ~. F" ?( Z! _9 N3 while some up to 5 potatoes.
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. R0 w* _) j8 VThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes
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0 y- t4 r* [" ?9 a5 U. Ain 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

due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,

4 E% X" L/ c5 s5 u7 pthose having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1

week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

$ H* A% d* K4 X+ S. t3 sThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes

, m9 C" V& @7 e7 |with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and
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4 o* }1 C8 _9 G1 [$ b, D  Qstarted complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.
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/ W. l  i1 |, x0 f% zThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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: B) g3 s6 p) b6 \/ V5 myour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

4 N6 d" A/ n+ P9 C% Hwill contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever

8 F  J* X4 m# f, Ryou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just
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3 R% ^: x! P- g+ M% G1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred

5 j1 V- }' \# L* G. i3 hin your heart for your lifetime???"
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/ n2 r1 O5 M2 }, [9 I"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;
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it is something you do for yourself.

Give yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.