Forgiveness and what it really is.

"For those with no forgiveness in their hearts.  Living is an even worse punishment than death."  Mr. Miyagi said this to Daniel at the beginning of the Karate Kid 2 when he chose not to finish off the Martial Arts Master from the Cobra Kai Dojo from the first movie.  If you remember the first movie, the Master would say to his students "No mercy and No restraint."  After Daniel wins the tournament by beating the final tormentor in the final match, he wins respect from him.  The master of the Dojo is upset that his prized pupil lost and the pupil accepted defeat graciously.  The master starts beating his pupil and Miyagi steps in.  The master begs to be finished off, but instead gets humiliated and spared.
This is a valuable lesson about those who are truly unforgiving... they would rather die than forgive people for the smallest slights.  These are people that need the most help.  It's really hard to give such people a chance if you are not strong-willed yourself and truly are unforgiving.  The truth is when one is truly lost in their own mind, it's only possible that person is the only one that can truly help themselves.  Others may guide the way for this person, but only he/she can understand or listen to the feelings inside him/herself and listen to what they are being told.

Forgiveness is the following:
1.Forgiveness shows a willingness to accept things you cannot control.  This can be the past, the present moment, or the future.  Remember the old quote "to dream of a heaven in the future implies that you are currently living in hell."  This means that you cannot accept the current moment.  This might show you have a hard time forgiving people that are present in the current moment.
2. Forgiveness is understanding your emotions and not fighting or ignoring your emotions.  Your emotions come from within your body and deep inside your heart.  There are some emotions you might not understand.  They do not come from your mind. 
3. It also means easing the pain you feel inside.  This includes any physical and mental illnesses such as the common cold that won't go away.  Easing the pain on the inside might actually help your immune system.  Your focus will then be on how good you feel rather than on any pain you feel.  For example, when I quit smoking for a short while, I no longer needed medication for acid reflux, and my stomach didn't cramp up during exercise anymore.  Dizziness and headaches were gone.
4. You may end up forgiving yourself for the bad habits that you have and give them up completely and celebrate this.  You then get rid of the bad habit and life suddenly becomes easier to live.
5. With number 4, I finish with this thought and feeling.  When you are truly happy, you feel a positive energy inside you.  This positive energy is never disturbed by the thoughts around you and the negative feelings of others.  You become a positive influence yourself.  Make sure you have the necessary comfort and support groups around you.  Without them, forgiveness might not be as easily attainable when you are left alone for too long.