The Weight of Grudges and the Light of Letting Go

The Weight of Grudges and the Light of Letting Go

A grudge is a strange companion. It arrives silently, like an uninvited guest, and lingers in the chambers of the heart longer than it should. It feeds on old wounds, nourished by pride and hurt, until it becomes a shadow that darkens one’s path. But does carrying such a shadow truly serve us? Or is it better to let it dissolve into the ether of time?

I do not hold grudges. They are heavy, cumbersome, and unworthy of the space they demand in my soul. Instead, I choose to shut the doors that lead to bitterness and close the windows that let in the cold winds of resentment. Life is too fleeting to keep rehearsing the theatre of past injuries. Like autumn leaves that fall to enrich the soil, I allow past wrongs to drift away, turning them into nourishment for self-growth.

Philosophers and mystics across the ages have advised against the clinging of grudges. Marcus Aurelius spoke of rising above the offence of others, reminding us that it is not the act itself but our perception that stings. In the Bhagavad Gita, the counsel is clear: the wise do not bind themselves with attachments of pain or pleasure, for both hinder the journey of the soul. To forgive is not to excuse—it is to free oneself from the invisible chains that hold one captive.

When I choose not to grudge, I am not proclaiming victory over others; rather, I am declaring victory over myself. My energies are redirected towards polishing the mirror of my soul, refining my ideologies, and cultivating inner harmony. Each closed door is not an act of bitterness but a conscious decision to guard my peace. Each shuttered window is not isolation but an act of prioritising serenity.

It is not silence that is empty; it is silence that protects, heals, and creates. In silence, I find my strength; in forgiveness, I rediscover my freedom.

Grudges are thorns that pierce unseen,
Shadows that cloud where light has been.
I choose not chains, but wings to rise,
To see new dawns with clearer skies.

I shut the door on spite’s loud call,
And close the window that darkens all.
For peace is wealth, and love my creed,
In silence I find the strength I need.

Not bound by hurt, nor trapped by pain,
I till my soul like fertile plain.
Where grudges die, new dreams will grow,
And wisdom lights the path I go.