You can forgive but still have nothing to do with the person. Forgiveness doesn't have to mean you continue with them in any fashion at all. That's a separate choice.<p>Some people stay together, or keep their relationship whatever it was, and don't forgive each other, over whatever. Others forgive, but move on, and no longer have anything to do with each other.<p>Forgiveness and maintaining a relationship are independent things. They obviously affect and interact with each other, but they are independent of each other, nonetheless. :)<p>Also, I tend to believe Jesus, as in: turn the other cheek. That's a super power, because it actually saves you from doing something stupid that will hurt you more than, or at least as much as, hurt them.<p>Alternately, if you know that karma exists, then forgiveness takes on a different dimension. It's actually super badass. Because until you forgive and let go, the universe or karma, is waiting on you to dish out whatever you want to do, before it to takes its own vengeance -- giving you the right of first refusal, or whatever.<p>Once you forgive and let go, you free up the floodgates of karma to find their rightful home. You're no longer in the way. The universe doesn't have to wait on you anymore giving you the right to first reply, because you've already let go. In effect, you've outsourced your 'revenge', so to speak.<p>Until then the universe is waiting on you to make the first move, if you need to, so it probably won't do anything, so as to not interfere with your free will to take revenge if you want. But if you forgive, then you get someone else to (the universe, karma) do revenge for you, and you don't have to do anything, and nothing bad happens to you. It's the perfect badass move.<p>Therefore, forgiveness is the ultimate revenge.<p>But also, in another way, it's the ultimate revenge, because by forgiving you are saying, "Your capacity to affect me is so insignificant, you have no power, nothing. Your past actions have become nothing at all, as if they never existed, worthless."<p>Forgiveness is the ultimate flex.<p>Look what Jesus did on the cross. He pities his killers. Rightly so, but who pulls a flex like that? Jesus does. Pretty cool. And very enlightened.<p>Not easy to do tho. But definitely worth it. :)