Guilt - Accept The Shame And Make Amends

Guilt is for reflection, for understanding.

For learning about yourself and your interactions in life.

It should pull you up short. Then devote some time to appreciate the situation you are in, and what you have done - the cause of your present predicament. And then deal with it.

Don't carry it as a burden.

Yes, you may have done wrong - either against your principles, someone else or . . .

Deal with it. No one is perfect. Vow to do better next time.

Seek the forgiveness of others if appropriate - but you must mean it to do so. Half-hearted measures may not cut it.

Guilt and the shame accompanying it will ask us questions. It will seek out answers. And we may have some difficulties providing them.

What we did and how we did it? How did it go wrong? How did it go horribly wrong?

And we will try to beat ourselves up over it.

There will be repercussions. No action without a reaction.

There may be a backlash.

This only makes our feelings of shame or remorse, regret or contrition, all the more hard to swallow.

We maybe did not mean things to turn out this way but we cannot take things back. And making amends is not always so easy.

Giving ourselves time is so important. But we know that life moves on and we need to move with it.

This can be an emotive subject and we will question ourselves and our motives and our actions.

We may well think about what is really happening in our life.

At times like these words can be very powerful - healing, soothing, comforting, relaxing . . .

The power of words . . .

Let them gently and slowly impact on our lives as we read - and in the future when we recall their meaning for us.

I hope this page will do this and more. I hope this example will help to express life in an insightful, penetrating but easy to read manner. And help us to question the lives we lead and the manner in which we live them.

With changes in life we can carry our guilt
around with us just like a bed quilt
which does keep us cozy and warm at night
our shame and regret can often come to light

In the most unusual of places or so we may find
we thought we had left our self-reproach far behind
but there it is before us again so we find
to go on repeating these sentiments would seem unkind

But do we learn our lesson if that is the case
we should learn to give ourselves a bit more space
and view our actions, deeds and our thoughts
in a much better light and not as blots

On the surface of our life as we can see now
we thought our responsibility was sufficient to allow
better thoughts of these changing circumstances that we see,
do you really handle these situations better than me?

Oh we say, the shame of it all
the embarrassment and humiliation is really a scandal
of epic proportions or at least that is what we have built
the chagrin and ignominy not to mention the guilt

Of what we have done hits us full in the face
we can feel discredited and it's all a disgrace
but what can we take from this dreadful situation
can we learn or improve if we have the compunction

To look back at the error of our ways we might see
that contempt might have been met with us being angry
but what would be the gain to our honor and feelings
if we cannot grow and develop as a result of our dealings

Grow and develop, how you might say
does not guilt weigh you down, then and today
as you think of it can you not anything see
that will help you to put it behind you and make you feel free.

Do we really want to live a life of regret
with little thought of others right from the onset
and have to look back on our dealings with much guilt
when we see the effects of the life we have foolishly built

What is it to feel a lot of remorse
for the actions we have taken would endorse
our lack of feeling and thought for others
saying a quick sorry does not really make up for such failures
of decency, scandal, guilt, sorrow or anguish
that we have caused and cannot now make vanish

But what we can do is show that we are truly sorry
make amends, change our ways and alter our priority
of only looking towards ourselves and our things
rather think of others, be loyal, honest and share our feelings
that we know that we have much to learn
and show that we our friends their love and friendship must now earn

All best,
Martin