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Why it is important to face your guilt
> Guest contributors > Facing your guilt

Facing your guilt

Facing up to one wrong that we committed is far better than weaving a web of deceit to protect ourselves. To name a guilty fear, to face up to it, is to win half the battle.

Guilt  is nothing but fear arising out of a troubled conscience.

Guilt is very often associated with the fear of being ‘caught’. It does not have to be the police trying to arrest you: it might also be the shame of being discovered to be a liar or a cheat; it might be the humiliation of people coming to know that one was mean or dishonest.

Alas, guilt is associated with shame and secrecy. And when we have unpleasant secrets to keep, we often resort to lies. Thus one thing leads to another, and very often we find ourselves committing several wrongs to cover up the one initial wrong that we were guilty of in the first place.

This is why our elders said so wisely: Honesty is the best policy. The best way to deal with guilt is to own up to our actions and face the consequences. Facing up to one wrong that we committed is far better than weaving a web of deceit to protect ourselves. Even when we are faced with some form of punishment, it still neutralises the terrible consequences of guilt.

To name a guilty fear, to face up to it, is to win half the battle. Very often those things that we are ashamed to acknowledge, those things that we are most reluctant to reveal to others, cause the worst kind of negative feelings associated with guilt. As I said earlier, guilt thrives on secrecy. We live in constant fear of being discovered; we are ashamed lest people should accuse us of our transgressions. We grow aggressive and prone to violent quarrels. When we remove the source of guilt, we free ourselves from shame and fear.

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