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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7 Y* S5 q6 Y% P" M' f( k, qThe teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic
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# p% _4 Z$ d* O( X  \9 a. {bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name

of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that

a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number

of people he/she hates.

3 f% ^# y( Z+ C* ^2 V* HSo when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
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% I* ~3 A, B( Zthe 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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Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain

due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,
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! o  D* _- D4 z" Nthose 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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started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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4 s8 S8 N) p4 g0 T' ]having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

3 F! M, G7 H* Z' V4 QThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.
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0 c7 L$ C5 p; j% U- \9 c  I5 u0 NThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry

# i0 h: @0 y% ]6 nyour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred
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will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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3 r$ \0 i6 ~4 \: x; W5 p! o3 \you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

1 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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) {/ h' C% U. U9 _+ lit is something you do for yourself.
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Give yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.