Most conflicts begin because one person or group feels they have been wronged by another person or group. Reconciliation (to re-establish a broken relationship where one person has wronged another) isn't always possible. In order for two sides to reconcile, both must participate and want to repair a damaged relationship. The first step towards reconciliation is forgiveness, and it requires only the offended person's decision to forgive the offender. Forgiveness is one of the most important first steps to ending conflicts in our families, our communities and between nations.

Forgiveness is not glossing over a problem or excusing it without consequences, or letting someone continue to treat you badly. It's always important to first get out of a dangerous situation, such as a violent or abusive relationship. Forgiveness does not have to include reconciliation, where both sides work to create a healthy and peaceful ongoing relationship. Forgiveness is a personal decision to not allow anger, hurt and resentment to control your life, and to forgive someone who has wronged you, even if they don't deserve it.

Learning to let things go and forgive isn't always easy, but when we truly forgive, it helps foster better health, better relationships, a deeper sense of purpose and self worth and a feeling of connection to others. The healing power of forgiveness reached international attention after the end of apartheid in South Africa when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission helped to bring the bitterly divided nation together after decades of segregation and violence.

The Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance promotes the first Sunday in August as International Forgiveness Day, hoping to spread awareness about the healing power of forgiveness to create "a safer, more joyful and peaceful world."

Advice columnist Ann Landers is responsible for popularizing the April 2 celebration of Reconciliation Day, as a day to try to try to patch up a broken or strained relationship. In South Africa, Reconciliation Day is celebrated on December 16.

Reconciliation Day - April 2

International Forgiveness Day - 1st Sunday in August

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DO ONE THING for a Better World 1. Find out more about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. 2. Think about someone who has wronged you and work towards forgiving them. 3. Seek forgiveness from soneone you have wronged. LINKS A Campaign for Forgiveness Research International Forgiveness Institute Learning To Forgive For Good World Forgiveness Alliance   ARTICLES All About Forgiveness Forgiveness: What's it for? See Also Forgiveness Day (1st Sunday in August) FORGIVENESS & RECONCILIATION QUOTES

Better World Issue: Reconciliation Print Out FREE Pages by clicking on thumbnail for PDF or Download Entire Book (16 MB)   no celebrtiy endorsement implied

Issue: Reconciliation Maya Angelou Hannah Arendt Henry Ward Beecher Jimmy Carter Bill Cosby Norman Cousins Dorothy Day Princess Diana Ani DiFranco Naomi Drew Ralph Waldo Emerson Mohandas Gandhi Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela Emma Goldman M. Fethullah Gülen Dag Hammarskjöld George Harrison Jim Henson Dolores Huerta India.Arie Janet Jackson Azim Khamisa Nicole Kidman Martin Luther King, Jr. Kenny Loggins Robert Muller Thich Nhat Hanh William Penn Eleanor Roosevelt Paul Simon Mother Teresa Leo Tolstoy Desmond Tutu Mark Twain Peter Ustinov Marianne Williamson Front Cover Back Cover