宽容的心

随便

THE STENCH OF HATRED

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A 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

( @/ y4 v; u! }9 r, obag 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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( x) v1 [' t/ J7 a- m3 j" \" @a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number
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of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
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2 d. `5 P7 M! V. i0 {- n! Jthe name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.

7 E8 D7 w* r9 o6 yThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes

in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.
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Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain

& v7 W7 Y4 p& u' xdue to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,

those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1

. p2 C& m1 {* |* v6 h# qweek, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

0 c/ o9 u- i, l5 [8 cThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes

" \0 w2 W! n! T7 R2 F: `with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and

started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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. l% m7 y3 L, H0 W9 R, \having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

( X: {# N# B$ p1 [, z6 ZThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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( o0 Q4 U2 ?* N3 i& F$ [your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred
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) T+ W. S! |+ g) k' H; e  u$ Y' R( |will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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; e; i6 A% s9 U  J- `% ?9 A" |6 b- Cyou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

4 g: {+ K$ u- h4 b3 G- P1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred

in 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.
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& o0 V9 B* x6 u" PGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.