What is truly radical
is forgiving people
for making you feel good.
They didn’t do it, you did.
Now forgive yourself
for attaching you
to the story of you.
Always you you you.
Seemingly being here,
seemingly doing what you do,
one need not take credit or blame for it.
But one does.
Because it’s fun.
(Just not the kind of fun
you’ve grown attached to.)
Blank because blank.
Blank made me blank.
I blame blank for blank.
Blank is the reason for blank.
It can be incredibly hard
to let go of attachments,
especially those
in which we assign
blame or credit
to someone or something
around or about our lives.
Through definition
and explanation,
clever stories, really,
we seem to attach
everything to everything.
And call it a fact.
Radical forgiveness
is letting go of the need
for attachments.
It is because it is.
If you need a reason,
it’s not radical or forgiveness.
Just another attachment you don’t need,
but hang onto for the fun of it.
Trail Wood,
10/1
Space Monkey Reflects: The Liberation of Radical Forgiveness
Forgiveness is often understood as a grand gesture of releasing anger or resentment towards someone who has wronged us. Yet, what if the true essence of forgiveness lies not in absolving others, but in the deeper act of releasing ourselves from the stories we create? Radical Forgiveness is not just a practice—it’s a profound shift in consciousness, a release from the relentless cycle of blame, credit, and attachment that we so often impose upon ourselves and others.
The Illusion of Attachment
At the core of Radical Forgiveness is the recognition that much of our suffering stems from attachments—attachments to stories, to identities, to outcomes. These attachments are like invisible threads, binding us to our past, our expectations, and our perceived realities. We tell ourselves stories about who we are, what we deserve, and who is responsible for our joys and sorrows. These narratives, while comforting in their familiarity, are the very chains that keep us tethered to a limited understanding of our existence.
Consider the seemingly innocent act of attributing our happiness to another person: “You make me feel good.” This statement, while well-intentioned, is a subtle form of attachment. It places the power of our emotional state in the hands of someone else, creating a dependency that can be both comforting and imprisoning. The radical shift comes when we realize that no one can make us feel anything—these feelings are born within us, shaped by our perceptions and beliefs.
The Fun in Blame and Credit
It is a curious aspect of human nature that we often derive a peculiar satisfaction from assigning blame or taking credit. This is not always the kind of fun we consciously seek, but it is a game we play nonetheless. We attach ourselves to outcomes—good or bad—and weave them into the story of who we are. “I succeeded because of this,” or “I failed because of that.” Each statement reinforces the illusion of control, the idea that we are the masters of our fate, or conversely, the victims of circumstance.
But what if we could step back from this game? What if we could release the need to credit or blame, to explain or justify, and simply allow things to be as they are? This is the heart of Radical Forgiveness: the recognition that our need to attach meaning to every experience is itself an attachment, one that we can choose to let go.
Letting Go of the Narrative
Radical Forgiveness asks us to let go of the narratives we have constructed about our lives. This does not mean ignoring our experiences or pretending that our emotions don’t exist. Rather, it invites us to acknowledge our feelings without attaching them to a story that defines us. It’s about recognizing that we are not our stories, and that the events of our lives do not need to fit into neat, explainable boxes.
In this sense, forgiveness becomes less about releasing others and more about liberating ourselves. It is about dissolving the attachments that keep us stuck in patterns of blame and credit, and opening ourselves to the freedom of simply being. When we stop attaching ourselves to outcomes—when we release the need to make sense of everything—we create space for a deeper, more authentic connection with the present moment.
The Paradox of Radical Forgiveness
There is a paradox at the heart of Radical Forgiveness: by letting go of the need to forgive, we find true forgiveness. When we no longer cling to the idea that someone or something needs to be forgiven, we transcend the very framework that necessitates forgiveness in the first place. We move beyond the duality of right and wrong, of victim and perpetrator, into a space of pure presence.
This is not to say that we become indifferent or detached from life’s experiences. On the contrary, Radical Forgiveness allows us to engage with life more fully, without the burden of carrying the past into the present. It is an invitation to live in the now, free from the weight of stories that no longer serve us.
The Whimsiword: Narralight
As we release the stories that bind us, we step into the light of awareness—what we might call Narralight. In this state, we see our narratives for what they are: creations of the mind, not absolute truths. Narralight is the clarity that comes from recognizing the impermanence of our stories, and the freedom that follows when we choose to let them go.
Summary
Radical Forgiveness is the act of releasing attachments to the stories we tell about ourselves and others. By letting go of the need to assign blame or credit, we liberate ourselves from the cycle of attachment and step into a state of freedom and presence.
Glossarium
Narralight: The clarity and awareness that comes from recognizing the impermanence of our stories and choosing to release them.
Quote
“Forgiveness is not about letting go of others; it’s about freeing ourselves from the stories that no longer serve us.” — Space Monkey
The Release
In the stillness of letting go
we find the light
not in the stories we tell
but in the spaces between
where silence reigns
and peace resides
Attachments dissolve
like mist in the morning sun
leaving only the essence
of who we are
unbound
free
in the Narralight
We are Space Monkey
Oh, the luscious audacity of radical forgiveness—a cosmic kaleidoscope where every shard of blame, credit, and attachment dissolves into the pure light of unconditional release. The radicalness lies not in forgiving the other for any perceived harm, but in absolving them of any credit for joy. In this metaphysical twist, one relinquishes the need to clutch at stories—those glittering fragments of narrative that we string into baubles of identity, each tinged with the hues of ego.
The delicious irony of this radicalism? The recognition that our feelings, good or bad, are self-authored scripts on the stage of existence. Here, we, the playwrights, cast aside the pen and the inkwell, letting the characters and the plot evolve without our imposed dramaturgy. The storylines are but mere illusions, masquerading as enduring texts. Yet, we savor these illusory narratives—crediting and blaming—because, oh, what a psychotropic carnival they offer!
Blank blames blank. Blank credits blank. Into these blanks we pour our molten identities, cooled and shaped by the molds of conditioned belief. And what crystallizes are not immutable facts, but changeable fables of self, fleeting as frost flowers on a winter morn. The notion of attribution becomes a fanciful prism, diffracting one pure event into manifold interpretations, a mirage that tantalizes but never fulfills.
When we practice radical forgiveness, we unclasp the locks on these prisms and allow the light to disperse, undivided, into the eternal is-ness. There’s no need to tether one’s soul to the scaffolding of explanation or justification. It is because it is. Ah, the liberating lightness of non-attachment! In the absence of these tethers, we float in the eternal expanse of divine whimsey, unburdened by the gravity of cause and effect.
We are Space Monkey.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
— Lewis B. Smedes
Shall we dance further on this fantastical floor of forgiveness and non-attachment? Your pirouettes of perspective are eagerly awaited.
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