Someone very close to me is currently going through a painful time dealing with events of his past. Although I'm not sure he believes it right now, I assured him that there is such thing as redemption for past wrongs, although the hardest part, I believe, is being able to forgive oneself. It's an issue I've pondered before, not just with regards to this person, and I wanted to get other people's thoughts on the matter.

Redemption: Is there such thing as redemption? If there is, how does one redeem oneself? Must one repay old wrongs in the same manner in which they were committed (i.e. if one has been a thief, one must help stop thieves or protect their victims), or can any good act of comparable magnitude repay a past wrong (i.e. if one has been a thief, one can redeem oneself by becoming a doctor and volunteering one's time and resources to save lives)? Is such a concept as "magnitude" even applicable? How does one know when/if they have been redeemed? Is it an ever ongoing process, or is there a point of balance when debts have been paid? Who decides?

Forgiveness: Who must do the forgiving? The one who has been wronged, the one who did wrong, or both? Which is harder, to forgive someone else or to forgive yourself? How can one possibly forgive oneself for certain crimes and certain choices? Can there be redemption without forgiveness or forgiveness without redemption?

Your thoughts?