宽容的心

随便

THE STENCH OF HATRED
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8 Z% H4 F+ z: `5 lA 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

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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+ H( Z; d/ V0 H, M: G1 T, Ca child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number

of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
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the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some

5 i: a0 h; ]0 s) x$ u! \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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in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

. p( }: l) t! ]3 g/ p- H0 iDays after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,

# q! \$ z, Z: o4 S1 Jthose having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1
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week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

/ ]) a, N$ t2 U" o" O2 u6 Y& |% j' b/ uThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
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" |) C& g6 C2 H3 Lwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and

+ y# \5 w( T  q, S5 q9 m: _1 R( sstarted complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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$ O% j1 l& v8 [1 S7 d. ihaving to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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# c" ~. I0 U7 N+ M! h9 GThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

; Y: t- `/ t: U( z% W* q2 PThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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6 ?( s4 o# q8 h  V' g7 O# Y2 Gyour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

* I0 w: d, y# K7 wwill contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

: H3 Q7 w1 W) b5 H" s/ a1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred
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) t3 }3 W% i7 k* Yin your heart for your lifetime???"
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"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;

it is something you do for yourself.

2 K" M+ {% ^" R5 ~4 [Give yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.