宽容的心

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THE STENCH OF HATRED

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A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game.

The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic
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bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name

of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that

/ R1 a. _: R9 g. f+ q4 G" ?a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number
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$ f8 {" \; m; h8 R$ cof people he/she hates.
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4 Z* O1 A! L, V1 r: B/ q9 R" A0 [So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with

- O/ \. X" ~3 Q" X$ Fthe name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some
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3 while some up to 5 potatoes.

9 t  `! O/ W/ P/ ]9 P( kThe teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes

+ P5 c' \! q/ r! fin the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

7 ]' ~$ B3 |  B2 l; P8 j/ BDays after days passed by, and the children started to complain
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0 ~! O' B% c: D; a0 ^, Ydue to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides,
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those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1

week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

9 M9 [9 H* d( ~' u1 P1 j2 XThe teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes

with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and

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.
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3 N6 Z! l4 D+ |( VThen the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

( O& Z% B' X' T) J( EThe teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry
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% s$ b3 ]6 N+ r, S4 ^your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred

+ R2 r  |3 k, T6 v6 ?* nwill contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever
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4 o/ a( W. C- \2 K- }" fyou go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just

  Y0 Q: B1 @0 ~0 O1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred
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: _( v  T: O+ S- ]5 B9 `in your heart for your lifetime???"
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& w5 _- g& ^" V" i, [9 \# M3 q"Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else;

; Y& C. w  \; q$ }it is something you do for yourself.

+ h8 L7 j/ P$ \( w/ q& TGive yourself the gift of forgiveness"

connie

The implied meaning is simple but profound.