Worth of a grain of remorse!
We often look at guilt
as a negative emotion or at least as an outcome of a negative deed. As
much true it is, there is a positive aspect also to the existence of guilt.
Imagine
a situation where in a fit of rage, you hit someone. You are aware that it was
totally uncalled for. You feel guilty. You go ahead and apologize. Now remove the guilt aspect from it. The
situation stops at you causing a friction between the two of you. Later on, the
other person decides to get back at you. Now let’s extrapolate this situation
to two groups – of different ethnicity or religion or linguistic identities.
Again let’s stretch it further to the world stage. The same happens between two
nations. What will the state of affairs be and where will we be headed?
Take
another instance – a person does a heinous crime. He/She doesn't repent. The
court sends this person to jail. He/She returns to the society with zero guilt.
Again, a crime is committed. When there is no guilt, the punishment does not
fulfill its purpose. Here, purpose is lost!
Another
scenario - two parties are involved in a business. One decides to cook the
books and fool the other person. The first party confronts his partner. The
person who rigged the account books does not show guilt in his action. Here,
the trust is lost irrevocably!
The
absence of guilt is often offensive to the affected party. If a spouse cheats
and he/she expresses a feeling of guilt, the husband/wife might think of
forgiving. On the other hand, if there is no expression of regret, what message does it send to the other party? Here, respect is lost!
Often,
people indulge in charity to get rid of the dark shadows of their misdeeds from
the past. If a person does not feel even a grain of remorse for one’s past, there is no need to
account for it. Here, benevolence is lost!
It
is important that we acknowledge the existence of guilt for the absence of guilt
in this world will be made conspicuous with the omnipresence of graves!
Arun
Babu.
Guilt is a relative term. A person feels guilty when he feels he has done something wrong. Now, right and wrong depends on the situation and varies from person to person. Hence, what makes one guilty need not make another one feel the same way
ReplyDeleteI totally agree to that...but what I am saying is there is a positive aspect to the existence of guilt
DeletePeople indulge in charity because they know they have committed a sin /or a wrong for which they feel guilty and hence the act of charity as a repentance. Many a times a partner in marriage cheats and shows repentance not because he/she feel so but to get back acceptance from the other partner.
ReplyDelete