>Redefining "forgiveness" from this bilateral way
I would argue that the bilateral requirement is the redefinition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgiveness
"In most contexts, forgiveness is granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is incommunicado or dead)."
>The injured party might now deem to forgive them, and restore the offender's previous status in the relationship--e.g. as a friend, good neighbor, etc.
That is more than forgiveness. It is reconciliation.
Re:Why forgiving someone else is about you
by johnchristopher on Friday July 31, 2020 @04:58PM
(#24014001)
It's not just about restoring the previous status (actually, you rarely can't). It's sometimes about strengthening that relationship. It changes it anyway, not necessarily in a bad way.
Redefining "forgiveness" from this bilateral way that we have come to traditionally understand it, into this unilateral context of letting go, not only makes language poorer (through dilution in its explanatory power), but also diminishes the bonds of society, which are preserved through various relationship mechanisms including apology and forgiveness (which serves as an improvement over having a physical altercation on the one hand, and an abandonment of relationship on the other).