Educational Questions of Forgiveness

Abstract

Harm and answer to it in a form of forgiveness or refusal of forgiveness constitute important elements of human life, thus, of human development; therefore, they should become the subjects of educational reflection. However, the issues of relations between forgiveness and human development cannot be decided on with unequivocal statements. Despite the positive perception of forgiveness, one could easily see that forgiveness for which the victim is not mature enough yet may destroy him, and forgiving the wrongdoer, who does not understand his acts, may confirm his belief of rightness of his wrong deeds. In this context, when discussing the role of forgiveness in education, and, consequently, education of forgiveness, one should ask the question of the essence of forgiveness, of its moral value and, especially, relation to justice, of its conditions and course and; finally, its religious dimension. This article is of introductory nature – it aims at introducing problems and asking question, and not at solving and answering them. Implementation of the issue of forgiveness to the educational processes without prior reflection on the mentioned subjects would be not only naive but also, in relation to some pupils and especially those burdened with difficult experiences, may lead to further dilemmas and life crises.