College Essay 2

Bryan Morris AP Lit College Essay Mrs. Avery 9/13/2018 Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? It’s easy to despise a person for their crimes or fatal mistakes, but it’s hard to forgive a person. That’s what I think makes the concept of Mercy and Forgiveness fascinating, that it’s an undeserving gift that can heal broken connections instead of spreading hate. The pivotal example of mercy I can think of is Jesus Christ towards humanity. He has been rejected, heckled, and crucified by the people He sees as His own children. Yet instead of attacking His children, He takes all the pain and forgives everyone, no matter how many mistakes a person has made. A more modern example would be when a Muslim father named Abdul-Munim Sombat Jitmoud forgave the killer of his son, which brought the murderer to tears while he received a gracious hug from Mr. Jitmoud. Seeing mercy play out makes me ashamed of the grudges I hold towards people. To have a more merciful heart, I try to humble myself and realize I have no right to judge others. I’m not perfect by any means, and nobody else is flawless as well. If people such as my mom are able to accept me despite my shortcomings, then I should follow by the same example

and offer the same acceptance to everyone, even if it makes me uncomfortable. I also ponder on the fact that by refusing to forgive others, I could end up developing a cold heart filled with hate while lacking compassion. Forgiving others can also influence others to have mercy on those that wronged them. I think of this and I am sure to have a calm heart instead of a heart heavy with malice.