宽容的心

随便

THE STENCH OF HATRED

# F3 @+ K7 Z4 I/ D9 b
A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.

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

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
1 P2 C# i" t1 `( |4 U& ^
of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
: \: Q) I4 K; k: p& k3 g3 i
the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
' _3 T2 A9 F( Y8 Y5 b
3 while some up to 5 potatoes.
$ C  }" u8 L4 h, ^
The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes
% ^6 |9 a  I# ~1 H: i
1 t9 j* d' e3 _& Y, I; Y$ u3 {- 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
4 T, I8 e) W* |/ A
1 U7 K$ q; ?: j7 d; pdue to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,

- K. c( i4 H4 Y  h: Lthose having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1
$ X# o# X- p$ ?" {5 j: w: G, @7 D9 G
/ n- Q" o6 @8 H8 l& @- k: w" d" b: Hweek, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

# l, h3 ^# H. M; d5 g: EThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
# c& ~/ K, X; M& s6 A* p7 Q+ g
with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and
6 i7 E3 y8 q4 z  ^5 q+ h
, ^3 A5 z/ [0 M' E" i: m8 vstarted complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
" n  F4 ~. g. g0 y6 j9 f
4 e6 S1 {: \& ?; [having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

' G9 j0 [7 H+ X; ~  @6 \The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry

) W0 ^+ ?3 @( x4 |* n8 Ryour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
$ _- i8 T$ I% |1 L3 U3 S
, G  @* Z0 N+ x* q# cyou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just
6 G/ x/ v; \6 @: w+ \
1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred

in your heart for your lifetime???"

  ]: `/ P- C/ {- ]* g% |2 t"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;

it is something you do for yourself.
7 ^* ?6 B1 L- e
, k3 o9 q) e8 EGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.