a drug problem? go to rehab; a drinking problem? go to alcoholics anonymous; a racial offense or micro aggression problem? go to a diversity coach?
humanity has always required an “erasure” mechanism. individuals falling off of the contemporary “straight and narrow” path must have a means of getting back on it; a way to cleanse themselves of their infractions. with a newly minted clean slate, they regain the ability to go on with their lives.
misdeed change with every generation. a word or phrase acceptable for an extended period of time can rapidly become a term of offense. the use of an improper pronoun or confusing two individuals can place are now grounds for the chopping block.
religion has tackled and addressed the issue for thousands of years. catholics instituted confession. judaism has the yom kippur holiday. as a result, religions have provided a regular means for cleaning one’s slate.
for those non-religious, society has no formal means of seeking forgiveness. there are no rules or regulations.
sometimes religion and modern offense of seeking forgiveness collide. a recent example is that of meyers leonard, an nba basketball player. he used some words that were viewed as anti-semitic. he was fined by the league and was traded by his team.
he sought to deal with his problem. he reached out to the jewish community and the community has responded to him with open arms. judaism’s concept of teshuva or repentance played a role. in mr. leonard’s circumstance, a modern day offense was met with an ancient mechanism of resolve. the result was positive. tmz.com
recently, it is reported that a “real housewife” had difficulties and conflict with an asian “real housewife.”
to be continued…
be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 