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10.18
Deconstructing guilt/regret
 
  Earlier, we discussed the concept of guilt in the definition of the religious context of sin ( breach of trust, breach of duty to god). What we did not discuss at that point was the process of guilt- and what is the end resulting memory and emotional state from accepting guilt or sin.  
10.18.1 A revisit of the concept of guilt  
  As we discussed, the principle definition of guilt is " a failure of duty, delinquincy, offence, crime, sin." The word, therefore has both a strong religious and legal power.  
  The word also has two applications:  
 
· a label applied by others to the actions of a person (as in the legal and religious sense) by comparison to some measurable laws; and
· the acceptance of "failure of duty, delinquincy, offence,crime sin".
 
10.18.2 The implications of guilt  
  What do we mean when we say, "I feel guilty?" Is guilt by definition an emotion, or something more complex? By definiton, the implications of the (b) example is that:  
 
1. A person is aware of the proper duties that he/she should have performed; and
2. Accepts that they breached these duties.
 
  By definition, a third implication of (b) is  
 
3. By failing duty and accepting failure of duty, a person feels remorse or regret.
 
  In legal cases, this third implication has increased importance in the eyes of judicial powers, particularly where judges have been awarded greater flexibility in sentencing procedures. It is now common to hear of judges impossing maximum sentences on convicted criminals who showed "no remorse", compared to those that clearly showed "deep remorse" for their actions. What then do we mean by the words remorse and regret?  
10.18.3 The definition of remorse  
  The word remorse comes from the Old French word remors, itself derived from the Latin word remordere meaning "vex, torment".  
  One of the earliest definitions of the remorse is "vex, torment of conscience (or mind)". Around the 13th Century, the word acquired a more modern meaning, namely "a feeling of compunction, or of deep regret and repentance for a sin or wrong committed."  
10.18.4 Regret- negative memories  
  The word regret comes from the Old French word regreter meaning "bewail the dead". The three most important definitiosn of regret are:  
 
· To remember, think of something lost, with distress or longing; to feel or express sorrow for the loss of a person or thing.
· To grieve at, feel distress on account of some event, fact, action (1553)
· Sorrow or pain due to reflection on something one has done or left undone (1641)
 
  It is regret that underpins the acceptance of the label of guilt, or sin impossed by others or oneself. Of the negative emotions, regret is one of the most difficult to dislodge as regret indicate by definition that actions of the past, that are unable to be changed are grieved.  
  To grieve in a way that means the past can be changed would be a different matter. The underlying basis is that regret cannot chance the past, only keep our minds in the past- the grieving of loss, is one of the greatest reasons for holding us back.  
10.18.5 Difference between guilt and regret  
  Guilt is breach of trust against internal expectation- therefore guilt is deeper than regret. Guilt buries itself and enforces the guidelines. Therefore, guilt strengthens the imaginary boundaries placed inside- it is a power psychological tool, and one heavily used by religions.  
  Regret on the other hand is the sorrow of loss. the loss may or may not be judged against our actions (such as guilt).  
10.18.6 The difficulty in changing guilt  
  We can now see clearly why guilt is such an accumulative concept of the mind. Given that guilt requires an understanding of what is right, an acceptance of breach of trust and remorse/regret self imposed, the absence of mental pain indicates an absence of guilt. For guilt to remain genuine, mental main must remain active against the measures layed out before us. Thus guilt perpetuates, while regret can over time, ease to acceptance.  
  Thus, people who accept guilt (the operative word being "accept") must at some point also accept to end the mental torment for guilt to end. Without that acceptance, guilt remains and often grows.  
10.18.7 Guilt and self esteem  
  Sadly, while guilt exists within the psyche of the individual, their esteem and value of themselves cannot be 100%. Simply the continued pain in mind of believing actions to have been less and to accept this requires the deliberate punishment of mind for such failure means we are torn apart- we are separate.  
10.18.8 The religious argument for the forgiving of sins  
  We can now also see why the catholic church of forgiveness of sins is so powerful. Without it, many more christians would live in completely sorrow and vexation for their supposed "sins" and "guilt". However, we also see this as the other tool of the nature of guilt, the pressure valve enabling people to free themselves of deep regret from time to time.  
  The problem is in accepting guilt, a person must also accept that they have been forgiven. depending on the religious person giving the sacrament of absolution, the process of freedom may indeed be less than effective- the person does not believe they "deserve" to be forgiven.  
10.18.9 The power of guilt to generate and perpetuate low self-esteem  
  The power of guilt is such that it can and often does perpetuate the nature of low self esteem in people. Those convicted of a crime, often find it difficult to rise above again, accepting the punishment and the period set down for remorse, but also to realise that once this prescribed period is ended, it also signifies the required end to the feeling of guilt.  
  In society this would been seen as against the principle of genuine guilt and desired effect of punishment as it is readily assumed and expected that once a person is found "guilty" either by a court of law or a court of peers (in a social sense), their guilt shuold be borne for the remainder of their life.  
  Deliberately, or otherwise, such punishment is far worse than any physical torture, for as long as that person chooses to be part of that tribe, village, city or society, they must also consider their veil of guilt.
  The United States of America is especially an example where this moralistic nazism exists unchecked at almost every level of the social fabric. The cost has been the general breakdown of order, as a system that provides no ability to move on, forces individuals to exist in parallel, or even attempt to live outside the laws of the society.
 
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