Well, sure, there are times when you feel wracked by Life at every turn. The world is too much with you, as the poet says. Whatever reasons you give for your pain and suffering, you are a contributor. I can say lovingly that you are an accomplice, dear ones. By this, I mean, if you are bogged down, you are the one who is bogged down.
Then it is incumbent upon you, lift yourself up. There is something to change your mind about. Change your thinking, and you are changed. Change your thinking, and your Life is changed.
Often, dear Ones, you enchain yourself. You tie yourself up in knots. You handcuff yourself.
Please distinguish between the two words: Responsible and blameful.
To say you are responsible gives you an opportunity to take action. You can see in a way new to you. You can change something. You can give it a try. You don’t just have to sit there, a helpless hapless victim.
To say you are to blame implies a dead end of guilt. Guilt digs you in deeper. Alas, you tell yourself, you did something incorrectly. So what? Now, move yourself up the line.
You wish you had done differently, and now you feel helpless. You can not undo what you cannot undo. It is irresponsible to give guilt your loyalty, for self-blame boxes you in. It is not wonderful of you to roll in guilt. You are sorry. You do regret. Okay, you have punished yourself enough. Of what value is it for you to impound yourself there?
If you break a chair leg, do you sit on the floor bemoaning your fate? Heck, no. You get some wood glue or whatever, and you fix the chair leg.
Let’s say you are knitting and drop a stitch, it is no big deal. You go back and make the stitch right. You don’t just sit there stewing about it. You are not a poor unfortunate forever and anon because you dropped a stitch.
When it comes to a plight in relationships or an unwieldy situation in Life, you can’t just sit there. You’re sorry. When Life is such that you cannot retract the act, you can retract the guilt. Guilt is a subterfuge for inaction. It is a poor excuse. Move past the guilt.
When you fall off your bike, you pick yourself up, and get back on. No big deal.
Let’s say you are driving your car. The road is icy. Despite your carefulness, you skid on an icy road and hit another car. The other driver and passengers are injured. You are so very sorry to have contributed to others’ pain. To let go of the guilt is a responsible action. Hanging on to guilt, you cause injury to yourself. You have to get off the guilt. It is responsible of you to swim through the guilt and go on in Life without it. You can’t keep beating yourself up. You can’t keep pounding your chest. You have to stop crying sometime. Release the guilt. Give yourself a break.
Even in a situation where you deliberately chose to do harm, you didn’t know better. You were ignorant. You know better now. Now you would not make the same choice. Be glad for that, and now give yourself a chance. Make whatever amends you can, and be done with the guilt. You have Life to live. At the present time, you have one Life to live. Go on with it. Live it.
I tell you frankly that guilt is a waste of Life. You may live with it all your Life and never forget it, and, still, you must go forward in Life. You are not without responsibility, yet you’ve got to leave the emotion of guilt behind you. Guilt is not to be your guiding light.