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THE STENCH OF HATRED % }7 H7 M: o) z# E0 O" W
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( t h$ Q/ X3 U! O6 M) JA kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.
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/ D" E/ z% q9 Y) M2 v) AThe teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic : U3 ]. @$ Y0 j0 z# }2 E1 u
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bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name
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of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that & }2 n5 U% d' O' L/ u3 [
' ^9 I. b8 B- z% e+ I* S+ Fa child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number . ]& D2 K1 W2 X$ o1 |" N
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of people he/she hates. 2 T9 g1 X) u! J# c8 m
0 I L% j; s9 O, n8 a) Z9 }So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with 0 e" S5 @& Q6 s- O
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the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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2 B8 a0 |2 w: O6 Q, x% N) B& S3 while some up to 5 potatoes. - X5 m: E- X1 p! s- O
# q" b8 F( I2 _* U/ g/ aThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes + J8 ^7 w1 ^- A) n+ n4 [
: k8 ~( Q# p1 {5 z, sin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week. ( ^) [! V$ c4 ?3 _
+ r8 _# m, t* w- u& x2 ~Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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# Y; |, |% e0 j4 ~, }1 r3 [due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, s& |! \% w, E% Z
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those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1
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$ D+ J& Z% ^1 q6 Z& ^5 H# Lweek, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended. 2 w8 u) X! g- j! C: P
- J, f; j% ~% _+ e# fThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes
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- ~% h+ I" C( W: B1 mwith you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and / U2 B- R: A4 d$ g
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started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through
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having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go. 4 D$ A# c2 Y- \" y8 _1 _2 m
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Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. ) P' b! E% |3 l
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The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred + m5 Q2 f$ y( h& a! Q, D
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will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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2 Y- ~8 U- A# S, ~you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just
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4 P) c b; O: C; f, L) d4 W3 J1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred
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in your heart for your lifetime???" ; I; i: g# R% k
# e% R, I }" {) a6 V"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;
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it is something you do for yourself. , x: V1 k; n+ s/ @: N3 v( \/ x
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Give yourself the gift of forgiveness" |
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