Forgiveness as a strategy

All it required for me to post the second edition of my newsletter was a brilliant guest post! Last week, I had been wrecking my head to spin the next topic for my newsletter, when suddenly a message from my ex-colleague saved my day. She was querying me if she could contribute to my newsletter. ‘Why not?’, I asked myself. 'Hitting a subscriber base of 624 (and counting) with its opening post, my newsletter seems capable enough to give my august guest an audience', I reasoned!

I requested her to send the article ASAP. I informed her that I would feel honoured to carry her article as a guest post in the next edition of my newsletter. Consequently, I received a brilliantly done article on acceptance and forgiveness. However, going by the style and tone of my newsletter I requested her to make a few changes in the article and resend.

My newsletter is titled Spirituality @ Workplace . So, I would prefer a write-up that hovers around two things: spirituality and workplace. My request to her was, ‘See if you can give your article a spin around careers, office culture or workplace’. And there she went ... I received the revised version, which, you will agree after you finish reading it, is so very cool, upbeat and relatable. Interestingly, it is in the form of a dialogue.

Thank you Shalu Mehra for such a brilliant write-up on the beauty of forgiveness! Forgiveness as a corporate strategy can become an instant killer of office politics and toxic cultures. In the absence of these negative elements, organisations can focus more on growth and in increasing revenue 10x.

If you have found the time to peruse the entire second edition, please do not stop there. Go further down to post a comment, regardless of whether you think of smashing my or my guest’s head or patting us on the back!??

Can forgiveness be used as a strategy by the corporates to offer a better work culture to their employees and thereby maximise their profits and growth paths? Let us read my today's guest Shalu Mehra’s article in detail.

Reena barged into the room with anger clearly palpable on her face. Upon asking, Michael, her friend and colleague, discovered that Reena had a major tiff with her colleague, Pradeep.

‘He is mean and arrogant. How can one work with a person like him? I can never think of forgiving him.’ Reena had tears in her eyes.

Michael, though aware of Pradeep’s temperament, also knew that Pradeep was going through a rough patch in his married life. He did not want his friend Reena to turn bitter towards Pradeep, as this would seriously affect her work.

‘Reena, do you know the disagreements I had with Mr Murthy from the accounts department?’

‘Of course, I know. The whole office knows. But I was surprised to see you both having coffee together the other day. Don’t you have any self-respect?’

Peace of mind vs self-respect

‘Self-respect? Haha! Well, I think what’s most important to me is my peace of mind.’

Sensing this as the right opportunity, Michael continued, ‘Honestly, Reena, I have forgiven him. You see, a lot of people think that forgiving someone is not an option, because we must teach the wrongdoer a lesson, and our hatred is the least they deserve! Rarely do we realise that forgiveness is for our ourselves, and not for the perpetrator. Forgiving someone frees us of all the negativity that clouds our mind. It is this negativity that makes us irritable and resentful and keeps us in an unhappy frame of mind. And our personal and professional lives suffer no end!’

Reena was listening with rapt attention.

‘Ya, I think you are right, because I keep feeling negative myself after any altercation with anyone.’

Michael continued, ‘Once we carry these negative tendencies towards anyone, there are very strong chances that this venom of negativity spills on to others as well. Thus, for our own betterment, we must get rid of this negativity, and to achieve that, there is no other way than to forgive the person, who has wronged us.’

When forgiving is difficult

Reena looked doubtful, ‘But, it becomes very difficult to forgive someone, even when we know that it is ultimately for our own good. What do we do then?’

Empathy as a solution

‘Empathy is the answer, Reena. Try to think and feel from the other person’s point of view. Sometimes, we are so consumed with our own selves that we fail to see why the other person is reacting the way they are. Do you know Pradeep is going through a bitter divorce? Maybe that’s why he is irritable these days!’

‘What? I didn’t know that! That’s sad!’ Reena felt bad for Pradeep.

‘Ok, I think I will go and talk to him.’

Michael was quick to respond, ‘Well, you may or may not go. Just when you clear your heart of anything negative towards him, I’m sure he will sense the energy and definitely you two can work better as a team.’

‘I’m already feeling good, Michael. Thank you for making me see reason. And you’re right, when we forgive someone, it’s we who first get the instant benefit of feeling good about our own selves. You’re a true friend!’

Imagine an organisation that encourages such positive cultures like forgiveness and empathy. It will not only result in having productive teams in all departments, but also in growing faster and making more revenue.

• My previous social media post about the importance of empathy in understanding intent: Read why the solution to the wrongs is not violence but empathy.
• My other newsletter on Substack called Celestial Love Letters : Read and sign up my newsletter with over 1,000 subscribers. It offers a captivating blend of interfaith spirituality, religion, science and occasional controversy!
• My group called Spirituality with Ranjit on LinkedIn: Explore, discuss and embrace the diverse facets of spirituality in this group.
• My personal website on Carrd: Know me as a writer, editor, social entrepreneur, educator and voice actor.
• My Space on Quora: Explore my writings on #Spirituality, #Science, #English #language, #Hindi, #Assamese and #SocialWork.

Like my today's guest post Shalu, if you too want to showcase your spiritual writing on my growing platform with 624 (and counting) active subscribers, contact me in any of the following ways:

• Email me directly on [email protected] .
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