[INFJ] INFJs & Forgiveness

[lillyofthevalley]

I could be wrong about this, but it seems to me that many if not most INFJs have incredible long-term memories, which makes it harder to move on than for some because we have an overactive instant replay function in our heads which can take over our whole bodies. Two books have helped me with this after breakups, both a year ago and many moons ago: The Road Less Traveled and The Power of Now. I also wear a ring with an ammonite in it - that thing's 15 million years old or something, so it gives me perspective; my version of King David's 'This Too Shall Pass' ring, I suppose. It also reminds me that I am both a tiny piece of nothing and yet connected to everything. And so is everyone else. Which helps me be less hard on myself and on them. Sometimes.

I relate to this. This sense of connection to the vastness of everything helps me to view painful events as merely a blip in time, less consequential.

 

[Gloriana]

I could be wrong about this, but it seems to me that many if not most INFJs have incredible long-term memories, which makes it harder to move on than for some because we have an overactive instant replay function in our heads which can take over our whole bodies. Two books have helped me with this after breakups, both a year ago and many moons ago: The Road Less Traveled and The Power of Now. I also wear a ring with an ammonite in it - that thing's 15 million years old or something, so it gives me perspective; my version of King David's 'This Too Shall Pass' ring, I suppose. It also reminds me that I am both a tiny piece of nothing and yet connected to everything. And so is everyone else. Which helps me be less hard on myself and on them. Sometimes.

Definitely have that long-term memory problem. I said it in another thread, it's like I'm a 'memory hoarder' and I don't want to let memories go because I'm never sure if I've squeezed every drop of insight or every lesson out of them. Like I keep 'em around because I think "Well, just in case I NEED this for something...", lol. (I'm also a writer, every single damn moment of my life is potential fodder for fiction so I just put all of it in storage!)

I'm going to try and find those books you mentioned, they sound intriguing. I would like to think more about the power of 'now', I could use some of that! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ruby Tuesday]

The Power of Now is by Eckhard Tolle. (I think that's spelled right - no time to do Google search at work today!) It's a little cheesy in places - and being an ex-Catholic, any use of the word 'God' brings me out in a bit of rash and has me seeing old beardy men in clouds, which is not useful - but definitely worth plowing through those bits. As for the other book, the M. Scott Peck, I think it saved my life. It told me about the collective unconscious, about which I'd not heard before (I was 24) but instantly knew to be Truth, and told me that I was part of it. Which made me realise all in one wonderful second that I had value. Re-reading it now I'm older, I don't get the same rush, but there's some great stuff in it.