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THE STENCH OF HATRED
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1 |5 z6 J/ i& t8 `/ i: IA kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game. 7 L: d* t3 o; F+ r" n' f- f
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The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic , g. x; c5 ~. E- E, h# v
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bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name + P) A: s! O: A/ P* X4 _
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of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that 6 s' B9 R- q6 X0 I' E
4 F( G1 q/ H+ u( I& \! o* n6 Ea child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number 8 s6 A6 e$ O# j5 ^% f9 `. z4 e0 ^/ o
, e! C* E) W" ^8 h" D0 H2 Gof people he/she hates. ; n# u3 y: H' ?& `7 p
8 \0 o7 Y1 z, J" V* C j( c: CSo when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with
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9 T% ^* A6 C8 `, u$ D8 qthe name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some # R Q1 Y4 t1 O. b) o# h
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.
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; x5 q+ D8 q3 bThe 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.
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Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain ' t' s. P& @ R- }
- ^) L7 _& X# p) sdue 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.
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The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
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5 v) t) @- k; Hwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and 6 {+ t# l2 \2 c
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started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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" P) a8 ~0 a1 w$ bhaving to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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7 m$ e2 g0 h0 v4 n$ uThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. + T9 Z0 C! e% x9 ]0 s$ S$ [
$ j5 _: ?2 q- V4 }1 CThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry / i- L; `, k. T
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your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred
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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 ) {. n; b3 k9 c5 i& h. a3 z
6 I, v5 {! B& o& B5 Q. u6 k1 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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6 t# v7 E8 Q9 ]"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else; * y# Y _) f/ r- c
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it is something you do for yourself.
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4 `6 ^: Q+ X/ @/ b7 Z' oGive yourself the gift of forgiveness" |
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