Society likes to sell forgiveness as the ultimate virtue, promising inner peace and moral superiority like it’s some kind of magical emotional smoothie. Everyone insists that letting go of bitterness brings happiness, health, and probably clear skin. But here’s an unpopular fact: holding grudges can be refreshingly satisfying. Forget emotional Zen—sometimes resentment is exactly the energy boost your soul needs.

Forgiveness is one of humanity’s most cherished bad ideas. Society constantly teaches us to nod politely, smile agreeably, and ignore blatant disrespect whenever someone treats us terribly. We repeatedly hear that being the mature one involves calmly enduring poor treatment, as though emotional self-preservation is a silly optional extra reserved for overly sensitive types.

Some families are especially gifted at dispensing the forgiveness Kool-Aid. They genuinely expect you to shrug off years of awful parenting, blatant favoritism, neglect, and emotional abandonment purely because of shared genetic material.