Family feud is something that can't be avoided. Petty quarrels between siblings may only be a flash in a pan but they are those which last for years of silent wars that can severely affect the relationships between siblings. Probably the least charitable of all human reactions is that of refusing to forgive. It is sad to see and hear of people, who because of a single hurt, will go through year after year of hatred and bitterness toward the person who caused the hurt. My father has a long history of soured relationship with his younger brother because of some financial issue. His younger brother was asking my father for some financial assistance to continue his education but since my father has a family to feed he was not able to help him. This hurt his feelings and that took the turn of the worse when he denounced my father as his blood brother by writing to him a letter to effect the end of a brotherly relationship. Since that time they never exchange words and his brother considered my father as non existence. He rub more salt to the wound by criticizing him so far that hurt the pride of my father deeply.
Time marched, and a day came when the younger brother was hit by stroke. That was a day in history when I saw for the first time the feuding brothers came to embrace each other with tears flowing not only from the two brothers but from those presence. Everyone was moved to tears seeing such an emotional reunion at a time when hope of reconciliation is almost dead. After a month of hospitalization he regained his strength and slowly recovered and is able to walk again. It was a short happiness as few months later my father passed away after a short illness. His brother wailed and moaned the passing of his lost and found brother but time lost during the feuding years can never be recovered anymore.
Life is replete with many fateful family feuds that grew out of petty hurt feelings. It grows like a mushroom, from a tiny spore, that of a hurt feeling. It can be avoided if humans can shrug of trivial issues or an injustice. Can you be hurt and forgiving?
