“At some stage we must let go of the past and begin again. No one is undeserving of forgiveness – and that includes you. I know it can be difficult to offer ourselves the forgiveness that we can so freely give to others. Perhaps we hold ourselves to a higher standard than the standard to which we hold other people – but let’s admit that this double standard is actually a piece of arrogance: “I am a better person than he or she is, so I should behave better.” None among us should be defined as the sum total of our worst actions. None of us is a monster. We are all fragile and flawed humans who commit offences against others. When we do these things, we are not monsters; we are human beings who have become separated from our own goodness.”
Desmond Tutu, quoted in Fragments of Holiness for Daily Reflection
Chorlton Unitarians 