Self-fulfilling

"Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23: 34

Lately I've been on a kick of watching documentaries. I'd wanted to see two for quite a while and finally sat down to watch them... "The King of Kong" and "Confessions of a Superhero"

I would give both of them 4 of 5 stars, but I wanted to share a quote from the latter.

"It's only the bad people that I get mad at. Everybody else has no problem with me." -Maxwell Allen on "Confessions of a Superhero"

The film follows four people that dress up as superheros and take pictures with tourists on Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard. Each individual shares their story - how they got to Hollywood and why they do what they do. During many of his interviews, Batman (aka Maxwell Allen), talks about his dark past and the fact that he has a temper...even admitting to seriously people.

The quote is interesting because it's a self-fulfilling prophecy: I get mad at people because they're bad, and they're bad because they make me mad... When he said those words, he was obviously struggling to express himself and explain why he lashes out.

The other thing that it reminded me of was the fact that pain breeds pain. Maxwell had many painful memories and couldn't seem to get past them- guilt and frustration added to his anger, which caused others pain. It's a sad trickle-down effect that seems to have no end. Unless...

We learn to forgive. Forgive others. Forgive ourselves. Forgive and move on. Be the end of that cycle of pain.