Nelson Mandela, the South African activist who helped defeat apartheid, is in the hospital recovering from gallstone surgery. He is 94, still going strong, and still attracting worldwide attention and honors. Nelson emerged from 27 years in prison with an astonishing message: South Africans who were victimized by apartheid should forgive their oppressors and work [...]

No. And it’s not because I’m against showing Christian love and forbearance towards Newt. It’s because I don’t think we should forgive anybody. I don’t believe in forgiveness. There. I’ve said it. Huge relief. (In case you’re wondering, I don’t believe in holding grudges either.) So what DO I believe in? 1.  A relationship is [...]

A new biography of Richard Burton, Furious Love (by Kashner and Schoenberger) started me reminiscing.

“Forgiveness” is a word that keeps showing up in books, magazines, and TV shows. My friends and I often talk about it. And what I keep noticing is that I’m suspicious of forgiveness. Odd. Why does the striving for forgiveness–such an uplifting and beautiful concept–immediately make me start sniffing around for something that’s not quite [...]