Part 2

The host of Caitlyn's Book Corner discusses the topics of revenge and forgiveness. She shares a personal story about a soccer game where she was intentionally fouled and her team's reaction to it. The host's mother also joins the conversation and expresses her anger towards the referee. They both acknowledge the importance of forgiveness and how seeking revenge could have negatively impacted their team. They draw parallels between their experiences and the character of Frankenstein's creature, highlighting the power of forgiveness in finding peace. Both the host and Frankenstein's creature were initially vengeful but were able to change their mindset and choose forgiveness instead. And welcome back to Caitlyn's Book Corner. Thank you for joining me for the second part of today's podcast. If you're just tuning in, we're discussing the topics of revenge and forgiveness. As we discussed in part one, the classic novel Frankenstein has a lot to say about revenge and forgiveness. But how do these topics play out in our lives? I'll give an example from my own life. I've never really considered myself a vengeful person. I've always tried to take a mature response when angered, except for this one time. I used to play soccer for eight years. My MSI team, the Golden Girls, were at the top of our league practically every year, but we were never able to win the championship. However, 2017 was different. We had finally made it to the championship game. With five minutes left to play and my team up by one goal, one of the girls in the opposing team was running to the goal and completely bodied me. It felt as if the whole world stopped. To discuss what happens next, I'm joined by my special guest. I'm so excited to welcome the one, the only, the woman who started it all, Kathy Zirin, my mom. Thanks for being a part of the episode, mom. How are you feeling? I'm good, Caitlin. Thanks for having me. And I remember that game very well. No, I know. I remember all the parents of our team were so mad. Oh, we were. I don't think we'd ever been so angry during a game. Not only did the fall seem absolutely intentional, but the referee didn't even notice it. He didn't even stop playing with you on the ground. I remember thinking we were going to get trampled because you didn't get up right away. I was super angry with the referee for ignoring you while our whole side was yelling for him to stop play. Yeah, and the other team scored a goal while half her team came to check on me during that time, too. I remember seeing you and a couple of the other moms storming on the field and screaming at the refs. It was kind of scary because you never lost your temper at any of my games before. We were all just so mad. Look, I know a ref is a hard job and they're going to inevitably miss some calls, but this guy had let the game get so out of control, you could have been seriously injured and that's just unacceptable. I just wanted your team to win so badly to get revenge for all the rough play that the other team committed and all the bad calls. Speaking of revenge, I'm glad that no one actually took steps to get revenge against either the refs or the girl who had pushed me because it could have ended in a loss for our team. If I had tried to go after the girl and, like, push her down or something or do something back to her out of spite, it could have caused our team to lose it all. We wouldn't have been champions. You're right. I mean, I didn't even think of it that way. After I knew you were fine, I was really proud of you for not holding a grudge or being upset at the girl for too long. You dusted yourself off and just said, you know, it's part of the game, mom. Now we just have to win. And I'm glad that I chose to forgive and forget because in the end, our team won. We were league champions. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today, mom. I appreciate your input and take on what happened that day. Of course. Thanks for having me on. Although my story isn't as high stakes as a murderous rampage throughout Europe and the Arctic Circle, it does show how seeking forgiveness instead of revenge can end in the most peaceful result in our everyday lives. Frankenstein's creature went on a rampage trying to find and satisfy his anger by killing Victor. While I was angry during that game, I was never, however, angered to the extent where I wanted to hurt anyone. By choosing the path of forgiveness and not trying to get revenge on the girl who fouled me, it helped keep our team in the game and opened the way for our team to score again and win. Frankenstein's creature eventually comes to an understanding that revenge hasn't gotten him anywhere. He's still the same old lonely and angered creature he was before, but when he finally forgives his creator, he's able to find some peace. Frankenstein was vengeful. I was vengeful. Both myself and Frankenstein, however, were able to change our mindsets. Instead, taste forgiveness.