宽容的心

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THE STENCH OF HATRED

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A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.

The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic

  k* @- O( A& r) Qbag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name

of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that

- Q: R5 v) N7 m7 A4 X% wa child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number

of people he/she hates.

$ {  t' X8 X8 x! }So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with

the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.
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The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes

: ~) E% P  J; K. R6 kin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.
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; }6 O* o$ u4 X3 bDays after days passed by, and the children started to complain

$ c$ ^: I! b0 `  z) Odue to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,

2 K  Q1 \0 }; uthose 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

) ~4 k+ ]: q# Q& }6 }& n: _$ d4 E& w3 lwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and

3 m& c/ U4 R. v$ p" Bstarted complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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& Q0 ~; ?5 B6 f, ]5 jhaving to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
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8 s1 I8 c# u( Q" T" i; }Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.
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The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry

% E7 ?4 d8 e, e* G* Lyour hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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: p& G- h% R6 v- Ryou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

$ s! O. ?/ X. a( x1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred

4 F* i7 z' K/ ?# x, Ain your heart for your lifetime???"
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"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;

6 R- z: o( |2 [4 xit is something you do for yourself.
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0 t& i6 M2 t7 V$ O4 P" lGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.