Weregild was a concept from the ancient Germanic people; if one did wrong, one paid restitution to those wronged by their actions. As Christianity spread across Europe, capital punishment replaced weregild.
I'm on this tangent because recently I was talking to a couple of my peeps about the notion of Forgiveness. One peep said that it's a great thing to embrace because it helps lighten the heart. The other peep said it's great and all, but meaningless if one didn't earn it. What's the point of forgiving someone who hasn't even said, "I'm sorry" or made any gesture of amends? It's like permission to do the same shit again and again, enabled by the person it impacts, if the wrong-doer didn't learn anything and lacks the character to make things right.
Granted, there are times and incidents that don't require forgiveness to be issued; sometimes shit just happens beyond the control of people involved in the situation. Rational, logical people can understand it's the situation to be angry at, not the people who were there.
But when someone goes out of their way to engage in douchebaggery which impacts the lives of others, well, how again does forgiveness hold them accountable when words have no weight but that of the wind? There are times when a simple "I'm sorry," suffices. There are other times when those two words are not nearly enough.
This is why I like the concept of the Weregild; and it doesn't have to involve money or goods. Making a display of wanting to do right counts for a lot in my book. The demonstration of willingness to make amends and heal the fracture.... not silence after a mumbled, "I'm sorry." And let's face it, weregild is better than capital punishment for all involved.
Granted, issuing forgiveness is up to the person who was wronged. If they aren't ready to forgive someone, that's okay. If they are ready, that's okay too. Just as apologies should be sincere, so should forgiveness. Otherwise one is lying, if they don't mean it with every fiber of their being.
Thus concludes my random tangent.
