The greatest act of forgiveness is acknowledgement of the fact that, “they know not what they do.” There are many truths, but there is only one love. By the application of compassion through forgiveness, one is able to transcend the multitude of truths and remain steadfast in resolve for the labour of love.
To be capable of such compassion, one must accept that resentment of others is a resentment of the self in the mirror. Humans mirror each other by nature, and our interactions with the other is equally an interaction with the self. We all have pieces of a greater truth, but none of us know everything there is to know. So we all need each other, and cannot underestimate ourselves. We should forgive each other, even for our ignorance, because we have all been ignorant for so long.
People often do not know the best thing to do in each situation, because they do not have time to assess scenarios-in-a-box for years in college before acting. Those that have such time, often lose their chance to act along the way. People must act with what they know, when the time comes to act, and I challenge anyone to show me a person who does not fall into this inevitability. It is by this very nature of our shared reality, that one must seek pause, and give benefit of the doubt to their fellow man. We are less different than you may perceive.
Joshua Ray Jongema 