Monday, 24 November 2025

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUTY MERCY

 

                SOME THOUGHTS ABOUTY MERCY

            “Mercy” is the quality of those weak  or powerful persons who believe in compassion, pity, charity, forgiveness, kindness, sympathy, tolerance and generosity.  

            Most of the powerful persons believe in revenge.

            Punishment is common in the laws of all the countries.

            Many parents are not tolerant  and soft-hearted.

            There was a time when school teachers punished their students mercilessly even for minor acts of disobedience or misbehavior.

            Human beings , as children of benevolent God,  expect mercy and forgiveness .  They think  that mercy is one of the greatest attributes of God Almighty.  God in their view is an immensely kind-hearted Father.

            Many social reformers believe that punishment for crimes and offences is not so effective as a gift of mercy and forgiveness.

            Some religions propagate several acts of mercy; for example: giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, hospitality to the homeless strangers, clothes to the naked, care to the sick, inspirational visits to the prisoners.

            Note that forgiveness is a cardinal virtue in almost every religion, like  Christianity and Buddhism.   

            To conclude , here is a sonnet from the play Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Sc1, written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) .

The quality of mercy is not strain”d.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven,

Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

‘T is mightiest in the mightiest ; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway,

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings.

It is an attribute to God himself,

An earthly power doth then show likest God’s

When mercy seasons justice.                                                    

                                                ************

G.R. Kanwal

24 November 2025

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