Guilt

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
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What is guilt?

It can have value or be destructive.....no?
 

QuebecCanadian

Electoral Member
Apr 13, 2014
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I see no value in guilt as an emotion. It causes stress and anxiety. If you feel guilty about something I say confess or accept it and let it go.
 

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
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guilt as a preventative emotion is ok. Guilt over past deeds is destructive. Keeps a person from being able to fully think through their actions. Causes ego to overprotect id.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
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Can guilt not be used as a self measure to indicate when we have done something wrong?
 

Count_Lothian

Time Out
Apr 6, 2014
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I see no value in it.
Society deems the guiltless as sociopaths, and label the guilt free as a process of the criminal mind.

It's odd that this should be part of the human experience and when and where it became part of us one cannot be sure of, but I have my ideas.
iI's really only experienced in humans and being that it is linked to society I would argue it's a learned behavioral experience.

It's useless for what can become of these feelings is only self loathing.

I would say it is an illness of the lower classes. Something our ruling class ancestors stumbled upon and fed into the masses with religion and loyalty to the crown and the rest of that Tommy Rot.

Can we still be loyal to our leaders in this day and age when we have educated ourselves to know them as self serving power brokers of society . They lessened the power of the Church only to give it more to themselves. Two sides of the same coin. alas people still send in their dollars to churches in hopes of magically solving their life's ills and send money to their political logo of choice in order to have that warm feeling of being part of the ruling class in some off handed way.

Guilt is nothing more than an epic tale of controlling the Bourgeois and the Proletarian classes.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Mar 18, 2013
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Can guilt not be used as a self measure to indicate when we have done something wrong?
Nope. If you harmed somebody for no good reason on purpose, you done wrong. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is useless and self-indulgent. Does nothing for the person you harmed, and falsely relieves you of the obligation to examine your motives and improve yourself.

If you harmed somebody for no good reason, but not on purpose, you need to get smarter.
 

QuebecCanadian

Electoral Member
Apr 13, 2014
502
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Can guilt not be used as a self measure to indicate when we have done something wrong?
I think we know it's wrong before we've done it. I don't think whether we will feel guilt in the future is a deterrent, otherwise we wouldn't do it. If we do something we know we "will feel guilty about" then how bad can "guilt" be?
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
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RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
Nope. If you harmed somebody for no good reason on purpose, you done wrong. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is useless and self-indulgent. Does nothing for the person you harmed, and falsely relieves you of the obligation to examine your motives and improve yourself.

If you harmed somebody for no good reason, but not on purpose, you need to get smarter.

You truly can do no better then. Life must be wonderful for you. It's so pleasant to converse with the guiltless. I can feel the warmth.
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
41,035
201
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RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
I know if I don't walk my dog I'll feel guilt. I may know this from past guilt...it's prevention.

Guilt is learning, a necessary emotion for improvement. If there's no guilt then there's no right or wrong. Is there a right and wrong?

We're not conversing. You're just popping up and babbling your folly while adults are having a conversation.

I'm not bothering the adults, just you, the alien.
 

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
14,698
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I don't think anyone here is saying they are guilt free. Nobody is. Just that it is a wasted emotion.

Is it a wasted emotion or are we wasting it? It could be used to seek empathy, to learn from our mistakes. We may have lost how to effectively use guilt to heal ourselves. Evolution has not removed it so maybe we are just too selfish to see how it should be used? I wonder if guilt is an emotion that is not meant to be suffered alone in silence, but to be talked about with others to seek enlightenment from others?

Guilt is learning, a necessary emotion for improvement. If there's no guilt then there's no right or wrong. Is there a right and wrong?

Well put. There is most definatley a right and a wrong.
 

Sal

Hall of Fame Member
Sep 29, 2007
17,135
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mmm...maybe it's a Catholic hold over but I think guilt can serve a purpose in that it can nudge the conscience and causes us to exam why we are feeling badly about our behaviour

if I get overwhelmed at work and bark at someone in anger, feeling bad about it later when I am out of the situation will cause me to examine my behaviour and apologize

but I do feel there is healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt
 

Count_Lothian

Time Out
Apr 6, 2014
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Is that guilt or just the fact dogs are smart enough to be able to communicate the moment and their deeds with humans.

When my dog did something wrong ,she really did not know she did something I deemed wrong, till she heard the tone of my voice.
She knew she let me down somehow and her pack mentality kicked in and she learned not to do it again.

a simple pat on the head moments later and a hug and she was guilt free....lol...or was she really feeling guilty?

Man I miss her. that happy wagging the tail all smiles when she knew a good loving hug was about to happen.