In a world scarred by division, injustice, and conflict, peace often feels like a distant dream.
By Benjamin Ajuong Machiek Malek
From broken families and communities to war-torn nations, the path to healing and reconciliation can seem impossible. Yet, in the heart of every long-lasting peace, one powerful and often overlooked force plays a crucial role: forgiveness.
Forgiveness is more than just a moral or spiritual ideal—it is a transformative process that allows individuals and societies to break free from the cycles of anger, revenge, and hatred that keep them trapped in conflict. Though difficult, forgiveness is essential to achieving peace, both personally and collectively.
What Is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness is the conscious decision to release resentment or vengeance toward someone who has caused harm, regardless of whether they deserve it. It doesn’t mean forgetting the wrongdoing, excusing it, or denying that it caused pain. Rather, it is about choosing not to be controlled by the hurt or hatred any longer.
Forgiveness requires strength. It takes courage to face the pain, acknowledge the injustice, and still say, “I will not let this destroy me.” While many view forgiveness as a gift given to the offender, it is often more beneficial to the one who forgives. It brings emotional relief, mental clarity, and the possibility of healing.
Forgiveness and Inner Peace
Peace begins within the individual. Someone burdened by anger, resentment, or unresolved trauma cannot experience true inner peace. These negative emotions can weigh down the soul, disrupt mental health, and affect personal relationships. Bitterness and hatred often create more suffering for the person holding onto them than for the person who caused the harm.
Forgiveness is the doorway to personal freedom. By choosing to forgive, individuals free themselves from the emotional chains that bind them to the past. Studies have shown that people who practice forgiveness experience lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. They tend to sleep better, enjoy healthier relationships, and live more fulfilling lives.
Inner peace is contagious. A person at peace with themselves tends to be more compassionate, patient, and understanding toward others. They contribute to a more peaceful home, workplace, and community environment.
Forgiveness in Relationships and Communities
Relationships—whether between spouses, friends, or colleagues—are built on trust, love, and vulnerability. When that trust is broken, the relationship can fall apart. But forgiveness offers a chance to rebuild. It creates space for honesty, learning, and growth. While reconciliation isn’t always possible or appropriate, forgiveness allows individuals to let go of the pain and move forward without bitterness.
In communities, particularly those fractured by violence, discrimination, or historical grievances, forgiveness can be the glue that begins to mend deep divides. Consider communities affected by racial injustice or tribal conflict. Without forgiveness, the wounds remain open, passed down from one generation to the next. But when communities choose to forgive—sometimes collectively—they begin to rewrite their future. Trust can be rebuilt, and cooperation can flourish.
Examples from around the world demonstrate this power. In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission allowed victims and perpetrators of apartheid to share their stories and seek forgiveness. It was not a perfect process, but it helped the nation take vital steps toward healing. In Rwanda, following the 1994 genocide, many survivors chose forgiveness over revenge, enabling communities to live side by side again.
Forgiveness in Global Peacebuilding
On a global scale, peace treaties and ceasefires often fail when they do not address the deeper emotional and psychological wounds of conflict. True peacebuilding must go beyond political negotiation. It must involve dialogue, empathy, and a willingness to forgive. Otherwise, resentment festers, and the seeds of future conflict are sown.
Forgiveness is central to post-conflict healing. Countries like Germany, post-World War II, have shown how acknowledging wrongdoing and seeking forgiveness from those harmed can help mend relations and build lasting peace. Leaders like Nelson Mandela understood that forgiveness could disarm hatred more effectively than violence. He famously forgave those who imprisoned him for 27 years, recognizing that peace would not be possible without it.
This does not mean justice should be ignored. Accountability and forgiveness must go hand in hand. Forgiveness is not the absence of justice—it is the choice to seek justice in a way that restores rather than destroys.
The Challenge and Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not easy. It is often one of the hardest things a person can do, especially when the harm is deep. It may take time—months, even years—to reach the point of being able to forgive. And sometimes forgiveness must be offered even when the offender does not apologize.
But each act of forgiveness is an act of courage. It says, “I will not be defined by what was done to me. I choose to live free from hatred.” In this way, forgiveness becomes an act of resistance against the forces of violence and destruction. It is a step toward a better future.
All in all, Forgiveness is a vital part of achieving peace. It is not weakness, but strength. It allows individuals to heal, communities to rebuild, and nations to move forward. In a world where conflict often seems never-ending, forgiveness offers hope—the hope that no matter how great the pain, peace is still possible. By choosing forgiveness, we choose life, freedom, and the chance to begin again.
“let peace begin with a single heart –yours .in the stillness of kindness, we find the strength to heal the world “
Thank for reading, together we can lift up South Sudan.