LePetitPrince wrote:
Emotions are there for a reason , there's no useless emotion in human being ...they all serve evolutionary purposes and in case you are creationist then you should believe that God created these emotions in us for a reason (bah!). Feeling guilt , ashamed about something you did,regret .....doesn't usually lead you to repeat the bad thing again I totally disagree with Alex about this point.
An extreme example: a criminal would only become a better person once he really feels regret about his crimes ...and once he feels regrets then there's big possibility to stop his crimes. Saddam was a monstrous criminal because he never felt regret nor shame about all what he did and so he continued to do the same crimes till the end of his life ...and that's why saddam couldn't survive this world =) .
I think there's some truth to what you say, however, shame and regret are
not the same thing. People who feel ashamed about their behavior often continue in the behavior. People who feel regret often seek to make amends. I think it's the difference between authentic and inauthentic feelings of guilt. The former is genuine and the individual seeks to change; the latter is just an ego-game, an attention getting device. "Oh I feel so guilty; oh I'm such a bad person."
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"The cordial quality of pear or plum
Rises as gladly in the single tree
As in the whole orchards resonant with bees."
- Emerson