Some people may wonder, “What's wrong with thinking that I will do anything to stop feeling guilty, ashamed, or anxious?” When we say something like that to ourselves, it indicates that we are being controlled by these emotions driven to do things we do not freely choose to do. Our goal should be to stop responding to primitive emotions and instead to guide ourselves with sound ethics.
Similarly, many people wonder why we should not feel guilty when there is so much suffering in the world. Others may think we should feel threatened when there are so many encroachments on us. Still others may feel that we have to feel anxious when there is so much chaos in the world. However, we will do far better and contribute much more to the world when we are able to maintain our inner competence and determination, and even happiness, while we recognize that the world has always been full of desperation and injustice. Then,we can make rational decisions about how much of our lives we want to devote more specifically to the relief of suffering and the increase of prosperity in the world.
Culled from Guilt, Anxiety and Shame by Peter R. Breggin
Abdulkareem,Taoheedah Kehinde
Comments
Post a Comment