EP22 – The Art and War of Forgiveness With Andrew O’Brien

Have you ever been hurt by someone? Have you ever thought what that person did was SO BAD that you wished great pain and suffering on them? That you would NEVER forget that and could NEVER forgive them? Or maybe the experience wasn’t that intense but you still hold a grudge and ill will towards the other person that harmed you. The truth that we sometimes forget is that when WE hold on to those kind of thoughts, wishes or feelings, that it’s only us that is affected. It’s like the adage that holding anger towards someone is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. We are the ones suffering when we hold on to negative emotions. So, If we have the ability to hold onto those hurtful experiences, often years afterwards, then we must also have the capacity within us to let them go. However, that is often easier said than done. Sometimes we get so close to our own situation, we buy into our own version of events we just can’t step back and get perspective on alternative ways to handle it. Sometimes we need to look to another example to show us the way. And sometimes we come across such an extreme example, we realize our situation pales in comparison -- it teaches us a whole new paradigm for dealing with difficulties, drama, trauma and tragedy. Today, I’m honoured to bring you that extreme example in the form of Andrew O’Brien. Andrew shares his incredible...actually, unfathomable and unimaginable story of a life of drama and trauma and how he has finally learned to free himself of the past. I will let Andrew provide the details and in fact, I want to give you the listener a heads up...in the first few minutes of this conversation, Andrew gives a brief history of his life up until 22 years old. He goes fairly quickly but you need to listen. Everything he says is true...even though it’s unbelievable. From growing up in an environment of prostitution, going off to war in the middle east, attempting suicide and if that wasn’t enough, his mom became a national headline and featured on popular US TV shows of 48 hours and 20/20 as “the black widow of Texas” when she murdered Andrew’s Step-father and tried to frame his brother. But the story doesn’t end there. Through all that, Andrew has demonstrated immense inner strength and learned to forgive. His message is as powerful as it is clear. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a broken bone, come from a broken home, were a victim of a broken promise or a broken heart, … or even if it was a more serious trauma or life-altering crime that affected you. This episode is one you probably need to listen to a couple of times. Enjoy the conversation...