宽容的心

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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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The 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
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- x- }; b9 C# {' t( Xof people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with

2 b2 K4 W$ N: `' @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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6 Z! ]0 N) |7 w) @1 l0 G, rThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes

5 x) d& C# e1 b0 {) g+ qin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

/ S2 a& w) ]7 H5 U* X- H% h- fDays after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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  g2 u4 K: u! ~7 J8 c& }/ mdue to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,
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9 Y/ r' F9 \$ U' @2 x' Wthose having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1

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

The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes

with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and
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. q! ^) k4 L$ Cstarted 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.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.
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, Y3 ?+ w4 x9 QThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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# R4 [. C# v6 [/ n' x0 eyour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

. @) B  J) m& p4 t2 }will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever

3 H# o  g+ V/ {1 k! o- p7 v5 {you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

" g1 f/ D" o3 s, b# U" V1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred

in your heart for your lifetime???"
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"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;
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" c# ~7 \. w6 t& @7 h: o% M1 e5 uit is something you do for yourself.

# L% G8 r! D* {- E# t/ gGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.