Guilt
Guilt is a miserable game we play with ourselves.
Guilt is a miserable game we play with ourselves. It's the price we pay for not taking an honest, compassionate, realistic, forgiving look at our own reality. It's a game of make-believe with bitter consequences.
Guilt is anger directed at ourselves. We get angry with ourselves for something we should have done or shouldn't have done. It accumulates over time. Our self-punishment becomes worse with each repeated occurrence. ("I should have known better!")
Fear steps in. We become afraid of situations in which we might fail to live up to our personal expectations. We're afraid of what we might do to ourselves if we fail again. We're afraid of our own anger.
We avoid new people, situations, activities. We settle into a predictable rut, and then feel guilty we aren't doing more for ourselves. Some people become immobilized with guilt, afraid of doing anything lest they disappoint themselves again.
This cycle of negative energy -- from ourselves to ourselves -- can have devastating effects. It poisons relationships, inhibits growth, stifles expansion, and it hurts. It can become self-hatred. It puts enormous stress on the mind, emotions, and body. Over time, it can kill.
Perhaps the most tragic part about guilt is that it is thoroughly unnecessary.