The thought of suing someone barely crosses my mind, and that's because I find it really hard to hold grudges with people to the extent of wanting to see them suffer. It's not just my thing, and I prefer to talk when the other person involved is reasonable or just walk away if the other person is the opposite.
But in a really severe situation, would I still choose either of these options?
Honestly, I don't know, and it's really hard for many humans to tell what they are capable of until the real deal happens. I haven't been in such a tight situation that warrants suing someone, and the closest I have been happened over a decade ago.
As humans, one of the things we are very far from is perfection. It's just impossible for us to reach that point, and for that reason, making mistakes is a regular thing. We commit numerous blunders, and even those who think they are perfect aren't because we are bound to make mistakes.
Understanding our imperfection is one of the things that doesn't make me take things to heart that badly, and most times I just let things slide. I have developed the habit of forgiving but not forgetting, and I just hold on to the memory as a souvenir so that what happened to me before doesn't happen again.
Aside from being a Christian and obeying the holy scripture forgiveness rules in Matthew 18:21–22, which say we should forgive seventy times seven, which automatically means 490 times if I am not mistaken, forgiveness is a natural thing I learned from my mother. Looking at this forgiveness rule critically, it's clear that Christ never wanted us to take revenge, because I doubt if just one person can piss us off so badly that many times.
Defamation is one crime I condemn a lot because not everyone who knew the beginning of the drama will get to know the end, and I think it's terrible for people to have the wrong picture of you in their heads, not knowing that someone is just trying to drag you into the mud. A lot can happen to a victim of defamation, and this is beyond what other people think. I am talking about the emotional damage that must have occurred during the troubles.
Over a decade ago, I was accused falsely of abducting a girl of my age, and this happened during my mid-teenage years. I was arrested by the police, and it was a huge embarrassment for me, but being a boy with a good reputation in that neighborhood, a lot of people didn't believe the police and followed me to the station since my mom was at work.
To cut a long story short, this case went on for close to a month, and the police had to let go since there was no concrete evidence of me being the culprit. Months passed, and the missing girl eventually came home.
Immediately after the news spread in the community, people advised my mom to press charges against the woman who accused me wrongly. Mom asked what we should do, and I told her to just ignore; what has happened is in the past. She smiled and told me that was the best thing to do.
*The missing girl was actually a good friend, but her mom's reckless lifestyle affected her so badly. After a while, I saw the girl and her mom at a bus stop and just looked away. The daughter noticed me and came to kneel before me. I felt embarrassed and immediately helped her up.
She apologized about what her mom did, and I assured her that I didn't hold any grudges with her mother.*
One thing a lot of people don't know about forgiveness is that it saves you from stress, and there is a different level of peace that accompanies it. Sometimes, it even comes with rewards, like in the case of my uncle, who forgave some tipsy boys for hitting his car only for one of those boys to recognize him when he went for the renewal of his vehicle paper.
The boy introduced himself and gave my uncle a VIP treatment. He paid for the renewal, took him out for lunch, and even gave him money. I know this rarely happens, but whether it does or not, there is a lot of good in trashing our grudges with people.
Finally, I believe in karma, and whether I react or not, whoever does evil will reap it someday, so why bother or beat myself so hard about it?
I mentioned earlier that I haven't been in a situation that really demands suing someone, and there might be severe cases that demand such, which I pray never to experience. I believe in fairness and treat everyone the way I want to be treated, but it's impossible for people not to push me sometimes.
When it happens, I choose forgiveness and just walk away to prevent the repetition of what I have been through before, but this never ends because we meet new people every day, and at some point, they will definitely prove to be humans by making mistakes. I am not perfect either; I have pissed people off, and the moment I discover it or they call my attention to it, I make amendments for peace.
