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THE STENCH OF HATRED $ V. b! M: K- [6 ?& w; B
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: T0 ]* L2 Q9 Q, B% L5 WA kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game. $ }, p. r% `/ \
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The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic 4 F9 |" Y2 c; R# K: H9 `; D
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bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name
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* o1 h* q: h8 _' X% I; iof a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that
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2 s$ G- V# E5 z% F4 _9 u3 }a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number & o/ G+ V3 B, \7 i. U
2 g- w! |/ r* S+ Sof people he/she hates.
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6 e( I% y% V+ m4 t/ P8 `: Z( L5 nSo when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with 8 N2 D5 t+ V4 L6 c# |
: z! ?; k* F' Q; j+ cthe name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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/ Q; e/ U( }5 K& [! _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/ z l+ N% {5 D) o$ U
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Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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& y/ I# {7 i( x" W* ?! ~due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,
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those 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. 9 k a- r$ s0 E) E( h
0 z& l$ C# v5 q. h1 L5 a t8 }9 k8 xThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes - X1 z$ n7 o: i
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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 ' Q# b* ^( _% s9 D
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having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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( B1 l2 w- V* M4 w" `. t4 XThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. h- Y. s1 _& C& S% A
: ?* C s4 ^8 F# ]$ w8 d3 PThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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6 c( C! K- C4 e1 I2 tyour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred " L3 s e7 A n: @2 {. Z
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will 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 / b3 c# n8 v5 ]! E; A; I3 L
: B7 v7 d) N1 d6 @# T( B; r" ~1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred
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in your heart for your lifetime???"
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* j6 W5 F7 D: W+ ^# v! P"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else; + u2 D/ o* `6 O5 Q
! @9 ], f: y- s1 b4 X- _it is something you do for yourself. : R! ?0 |7 {' e! H, |( q: |
- P7 ^1 e% U9 Y* PGive yourself the gift of forgiveness" |
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