Forgive and forget?

Forgive and forget. I don't truly understand the whole concept. How do you forget about something just like that? What if someone did something really mean or endangered your life on purpose. How do you forgive and forget?

If someone has done wrong upon you and they don't say they're sorry, how do you forgive? I mean people always say, "be the bigger person and just let it go". How do you let it go when you know that that certain person who hurt you shows no sign of remorse whatsoever? Think about it. If we were to forgive the person when he still hasn't said he was sorry, then we would seem big headed and egoistic, as if already expecting an apology. But the again, if we do not forgive and forget, people would start thinking of us as someone who is petty and maybe even vindictive toward the wrong doer. Right?

So what is accepted in our community now? Do we really have to forgive and forget in fear of what other people think of us? Come to think about it, why should we forgive and forget something and someone just cause other people say so? I think being able to "man" up to the situation takes time. We are only human. Forgiving and forgetting about something that hurt you isn't as easy as it seems. We should do it at our own pace. And it is our choice to whether we believe that the person deserves to be forgiven. Well that's my perspective anyways. And I strongly recommend that we run our lives the way we want it to go, as long as we put no one else in harm's way, ofcourse. Would you cave in to the perspective of other people? Forgive and forget?