Spirituality Simplified: They “Know Not What They Do”

Posted on April 1, 2008 
Filed Under Following the Path, Spirituality Simplified

As you undertake the effort to practice forgiveness in your life, it is also appropriate to take into consideration the words of Jesus as he neared his death, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Although this statement is familiar to many, I believe that most individuals would believe instead that those who harmed them were
actually well aware of what they were doing.

From my experiences on this path, I’ve come to believe that a person who does harm to another is simply doing what they know how to do at the time given the level of their awareness of spiritual principles, nothing more, nothing less. While it can be difficult to adopt this perspective when an individual does something that is really mean or hurtful, if you got down to the heart of the matter, you would find they were merely doing the best they could in that moment to deal with their own life’s issues and fears.

Think about it for a moment, and you realize that it is true; people (including you) are generally so focused on themselves and their own personal drama that they tend to be oblivious to what anyone else is going through at the time. That’s why it is important for you not to take things personally, for people will be what people will be, and the underlying cause of their behavior actually has nothing to do with you. In that regard, consider this passage from a marvelous book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz:

"Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me.” Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.  All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world than the one we live in.  When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world. Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you."


When you can truly embrace this perspective, you will come to understand exactly what Jesus meant by “they know not what they do,” and you’ll also put yourself in a position where no one can ever really hurt you again. If you have any doubt that the latter can be true, then I strongly suggest that you read Ruiz’s entire book, and pay particular attention to Chapter 3, “The Second Agreement: Don’t Take Anything Personally.”

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified

For information on Jeff Maziarek and Spirituality Simplified, go to:  Spirituality Simplified

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