Is forgiveness against our human nature?To answer our question,we need to ask a further question:What is the essence of our humanity?For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity.The first view involves dominance and power.In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness,Droll (1984)made the interesting claim that humans' essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows.Those who forgive are against their basic nature,much to their harm. In his opinion,forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others,who might then take advantage of them.

The second view involves the theme of cooperation,mutual respect,and even love as the basis of who we are as humans.Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings,we need both to receive love from and offer love to others.Without love,our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart.Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions.For example,how well has slavery(奴隶制) worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans,forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness,shown through scientific studies,is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony.Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger.At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged(不和的)accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.

As an important note,when we take a Classical philosophical perspective,that of Aristotle,we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality.We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive,but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive.The actuality of forgiving,its actual appropriation in conflict situations,develops with practice.

You run into the grocery store to pick up one bottle of water. You get what you need, head to the front, and choose the line that looks fastest.

You chose wrong. People who you swear got in other lines long after you are already checked out and off to the parking lot. Why does this always seem to happen to you? It turns out, it's just math working against you; chances are, the other line really is faster.

Grocery stores try to have enough employees at checkout to get all their customers through with minimum delay. But sometimes, as on a Sunday afternoon, the system gets particularly busy. Any small interruption—a price check, a chatty customer—can have downstream effects, holding up an entire line.

If there are three lines in the store, delays will happen randomly at different registers. Think about the probability: The chances of your line being the fastest are only one in three. So it's not just in your mind: Another line probably is moving faster.

Researchers have a good way to deal with this problem. Make all customers stand in one long, snaking line—called a serpentine line —and serve each person at the front with the next available register. With three registers, this method is much faster than the traditional approach. This is what they do at most banks and fast-food restaurants. With a serpentine line, a long delay at one register won't unfairly punish the people who lined up behind it. Instead, it will slow down everyone a little bit but speed up checkout overall.

So why don't most places encourage serpentine lines? It takes many registers to keep one line moving quickly, and some stores can't afford the space or manpower. So wherever your next wait may be: Good luck.

"Moja, mbili, tatu…"One, two, three. Juliana Rubashai is counting aloud to show what she has learned in school. Delighted and proud, she counts to 20, but her mother, Zefrina Nandia, adds that Juliana can keep counting, and that she also can do some reading. 

Nine-year-old Juliana is one of the children who have received aid through a project run by International Aid Services(IAS)in southwestern Tanzania, where many children stay at home all day, cut off from social contact and schooling. The project improves school facilities and raises local community's awareness about education. They train teachers and lobby(游说)the local authorities. In these ways, IAS is struggling to ensure basic education for everyone. 

Zefrina was contacted last year by project coordinator Fortunatus Rafael, who gets in touch with families to get an overview of children's needs and school options. Zefrina had previously asked the local school to enroll Juliana, but was turned down due to lack of resources. Thanks to the project, the school can offer chances to more children. 

Part of the project is training teachers in special needs education. Many teachers have received additional training in estimating the degree of a child's disability. During the first year of the project, 270 children with special needs have been evaluated, and of these, 200 got the chance to go to school. The teachers Scolastica Nyoni and Bwigane Mwasipu both appreciate how it has strengthened their skills. "When teaching children with special needs, we know whom to pay extra attention to. This means a closer relation between teachers and students," says Scolastica. 

It's a year since Juliana got into the classroom, and her mother notices definite improvement. "She used to be lonely and unhappy. Now, she's much happier and always wants to go to school," says Zefrina. The teachers also notice big changes have taken place in the local community. "Parents are now coming to us to find teachers to teach their children with special needs. Previously, they didn't think that schooling would be possible for these children," says Bwigane.