Guilty as Charged
I was reading a blog about how some young girls were selling cookies to raise money to give to some people in Lebanon, who have been displaced. Commendable. I’m not sure what their motivation was, but I think it was a belief that they could make a difference.
If I were to do it, it would be to assuage guilt. I would feel guilty that I don’t live in a war zone and they do. I would feel guilty that I always have more than enough to eat and they don’t. I have a safe and secure roof over my head and they don’t. I can walk the streets and fields without worrying about being shot or blown up. I would feel guilty that I have so much and give so little. So if I give to the people effected by the tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, fires and wars; a one time gift because it feels good; does it count, does it change things, does it make the world a better place, does it make a positive connection, cause a universal moral shift to the good.
I’m trying so hard to not feel guilt, to not be motivated by guilt. I rather not give at all if the exercise is to nullify my guilt. Of course then I have to deal with the overwhelming, paralyzing guilt of doing nothing.
When I live my life in a way that allows connections to be made with others, with Nature, with Spirit; then my giving, my living seems right.
If I were to do it, it would be to assuage guilt. I would feel guilty that I don’t live in a war zone and they do. I would feel guilty that I always have more than enough to eat and they don’t. I have a safe and secure roof over my head and they don’t. I can walk the streets and fields without worrying about being shot or blown up. I would feel guilty that I have so much and give so little. So if I give to the people effected by the tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, fires and wars; a one time gift because it feels good; does it count, does it change things, does it make the world a better place, does it make a positive connection, cause a universal moral shift to the good.
I’m trying so hard to not feel guilt, to not be motivated by guilt. I rather not give at all if the exercise is to nullify my guilt. Of course then I have to deal with the overwhelming, paralyzing guilt of doing nothing.
When I live my life in a way that allows connections to be made with others, with Nature, with Spirit; then my giving, my living seems right.
posted by Mo at 10:17 PM
2 Comments:
Good post. Guilt is so useless. The girls selling cookies actually began with feelings of guilt - but propelled it into something tangible. They were all broken up about their friend Sophie (who's family was escaping Lebanon) and finally someone said "let's do something to help" and well, being children, selling cookies seemed to them like a great way to go!
Maybe alleviating guilt is an okay place to begin, but not an okay place to end...
... and then, yes, there are so many ways of giving.
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