What Does Forgiveness Really Mean? Human Vision and Etymology

Unraveling the Meaning: The Etymology of "Forgive"

To understand the depth of the act of forgiveness from a human perspective, it is revealing to analyze the word itself.

"Forgive" is composed of the prefix "per-" and the verb "donate."

The Latin prefix "per-" is used to intensify the action of the verb it accompanies, conveying an idea of totality, from beginning to end, or of maximum intensity.

For its part, the verb "donar" means to give, to give away or to transfer a right that one possesses.

By uniting these two components, etymology reveals that "per-donar" is not a simple act of apology, but an act of total, complete and intense giving.

It is the unconditional gift of liberation, a magnanimous gift that is bestowed without reservation.

This initial understanding moves us away from a superficial view of forgiveness and introduces us to a concept of deep and radical liberation.

The Dynamics of Forgiveness: Victim, Victimizer and the Debt Created

The act of forgiveness arises in a context where there has been a fracture in a relationship or in our own sense of justice.

This dynamic always involves, at least conceptually, two parties: a victim (the wronged) and a perpetrator (the guilty).

Between the two, a "debt" has been generated because of an action perceived as negative.

This action can take many forms: a fault, a mistake, an offense, a damage, a crime or the breach of a promise.

This transgression creates an obligation on the part of the offender to repair the harm caused to the victim.

As long as this emotional, moral or even material debt persists, the relationship remains unbalanced and the victim often trapped in the pain of the past.

Forgiveness, therefore, is the mechanism through which this outstanding debt is addressed and resolved.

The Act of Release: Fully Release from Obligation

From this humane view, the core of forgiveness is defined as the act of totally releasing the offender from the obligation he or she owes to the injured party.

It is not a partial pardon or a temporary truce, but a complete remission of the deserved penalty.

By forgiving, the victim consciously renounces his or her right to demand reparation or punishment.

It is a decision to cancel the debt completely, declaring that the victimizer's obligation has been discharged, not because he has paid, but because the victim has decided to release him.

This is an act of power and autonomy on the part of the injured party, who actively chooses to loosen the chains that bind him to the offender through the demand for reparation.

It is a declaration that the past will no longer have power over the present.

To Forgive is to Forget: The Logical Consequence of Total Liberation

The debate often arises as to whether forgiving necessarily implies forgetting. From the perspective of total and intense forgiveness, the answer is yes.

If to forgive is to completely release the other from their debt, but we continue to remember the offense and keep alive the feelings associated with it (such as resentment or desire for revenge), then we have not fully "donated" release.

We are still emotionally "attached" to the event and the offender. In this case, forgiveness has not fulfilled its liberating fu