I do have a couple of thoughts.
First, he obviously really loved the tiger to begin with. Real love doesn’t just die, even when circumstances go sour. I can see continuing to love the tiger, but maybe rethinking the handling of him and other tigers. After all, these are not people or pets. They are wild animals. Sigfried and Roy may have learned a valuable lesson, from the details of what happened, in terms of the future handling of such animals.
ALso, you can’t blame a wild thing for its nature. Or life. When we choose to take a risk, we have to recognize that it is a risk, and accept it as such. The lack of wisdom in pretending a risk is not a risk may seem obvious, but we forget.
And on the other side of it, we often overestimate the risk involved in a situation, and hold ourselves back needlessly. We become fearful of perceived risks and stuck in our lives, so that in the end, being stuck is much more harmful to our quality of life than the risk itself might have been.
And we tend to blame others when things go wrong. This makes us "victims" in a way that life or others could never do. Roy took a risk, things went wrong, and he moved forward. He accepted his own responsibility in the situation and his accountability for his choices. He refused to blame the tiger or to become a victim. He made himself in the process stronger and more poweful for the future. And an inspiration to others.
And, of course, the value of forgiveness, but I think many others will comment on that. Take care.
____________________
The Wealthy Soul:
In truth, finding forgiveness or not really has little to do with the other person, doesn’t it?
Wonderful points, Michelle.
Michael Norwood