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"Where Does Your Forgiveness End?" – My Interview with Phil Cousineau
I am honored to introduce today's guest, Phil Cousineau. Phil is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, teacher, editor, travel leader, storyteller and TV host.
We will be discussing a range of topics, such as the meaning of forgiveness and atonement, the importance of presence, and our collective longing for wholeness.
The following is a taste of my conversation with Phil.
Q: Where does forgiveness end? Where does compassion end? Phil: (Quoting Dr. Jacob Needleman): You ask them three times for forgiveness. Now, the first time, they may still be angry at you. The second time, they may not have gotten over you. And then, the third time, they could forgive you or they have become so obtuse and so bitter that they still refuse, well, on, let's say, on the grand scale of things, your karma is free. You have done what you need to do on the spiritual plane.
Q: How do you define atonement? Phil: At-one-ment. It's like many of the classic definitions of beauty, which is all forms of harmony and wholeness.
Q: How does atonement relate to forgiveness? Phil: The act of forgiveness is kind of going halfway and then stopping. Doing something to make amends that is psychologically commensurate with the damage that was done, then the healing can begin.
Q: How does one get to forgiveness when there's a complex blend of multiple layers of mutual wrongdoing, with each party blaming the other? Phil: If we do not learn how to forgive in our relationships, in the workplace, and in our political activism, a kind of soul rust sets in.
When asked if there's one last thing he'd like our listeners to hear, Phil says, "People will risk themselves for others, and I once asked Joseph Campbell why this is so? And I can still hear the beautiful cadence in his voice when he gave me the answer on camera, "It's because we know at the end of the day, we are one."
About Phil: Phil Cousineau is a writer, teacher, editor, independent scholar, documentary filmmaker, travel leader and storyteller. His life-long fascination with the art, literature and history of culture has taken him on many journeys around the world. He lectures frequently on a wide range of topics--from mythology, film and writing, to beauty, travel, sports and creativity. He has published more than 35 nonfiction books and has over 20 scriptwriting credits to his name. He is the host and cowriter of the PBS and Link TV series, "Global Spirit."
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By Marlena FiolI am honored to introduce today's guest, Phil Cousineau. Phil is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, teacher, editor, travel leader, storyteller and TV host.
We will be discussing a range of topics, such as the meaning of forgiveness and atonement, the importance of presence, and our collective longing for wholeness.
The following is a taste of my conversation with Phil.
Q: Where does forgiveness end? Where does compassion end? Phil: (Quoting Dr. Jacob Needleman): You ask them three times for forgiveness. Now, the first time, they may still be angry at you. The second time, they may not have gotten over you. And then, the third time, they could forgive you or they have become so obtuse and so bitter that they still refuse, well, on, let's say, on the grand scale of things, your karma is free. You have done what you need to do on the spiritual plane.
Q: How do you define atonement? Phil: At-one-ment. It's like many of the classic definitions of beauty, which is all forms of harmony and wholeness.
Q: How does atonement relate to forgiveness? Phil: The act of forgiveness is kind of going halfway and then stopping. Doing something to make amends that is psychologically commensurate with the damage that was done, then the healing can begin.
Q: How does one get to forgiveness when there's a complex blend of multiple layers of mutual wrongdoing, with each party blaming the other? Phil: If we do not learn how to forgive in our relationships, in the workplace, and in our political activism, a kind of soul rust sets in.
When asked if there's one last thing he'd like our listeners to hear, Phil says, "People will risk themselves for others, and I once asked Joseph Campbell why this is so? And I can still hear the beautiful cadence in his voice when he gave me the answer on camera, "It's because we know at the end of the day, we are one."
About Phil: Phil Cousineau is a writer, teacher, editor, independent scholar, documentary filmmaker, travel leader and storyteller. His life-long fascination with the art, literature and history of culture has taken him on many journeys around the world. He lectures frequently on a wide range of topics--from mythology, film and writing, to beauty, travel, sports and creativity. He has published more than 35 nonfiction books and has over 20 scriptwriting credits to his name. He is the host and cowriter of the PBS and Link TV series, "Global Spirit."