The Quilt of Guilt

Hi Folks !
How are you and how's life ?!

A new year has begun and the first month is already coming to an end !
Time seems to whirl away, doesn't it ?!

It's winter in many parts of the world with various degrees of coldness.
Winter rains, snow, blizzards and avalanches too.

It's time for hot chai, hot snacks, soups, a warm fire in the house if in hills or on many road-sides in villages and cities.

Cold does not distinguish between religions and colour and caste or gender.
That's so neat and reliable, isn't it?!

You know exactly what to do with it.
Just wear something warm and off you go!

In the baggage which we are carrying in our lives, there is such a variety of colourful stuff.
There is love, hope, dreams, anger, laziness, fears, tears -

We feel we need to lug it around all the time for 2 reasons -
1. We feel an affinity towards it.
It's ours.
Created by us, owned by us.

2. It is, actually, us.
Our identity.
So how can we lose even a part of it?

There could be bits and pieces that are painful and heavy and sad but having decided they are a part of us, it is difficult to even think of shrugging them away.

Of all the memories that we start collecting from our childhood, many of us give a special place to tears and deprivation and sadness more than laughter and sharing and a sense of security or belonging.

And then, there is guilt.
Along the way as we grow up in age, where guilt is concerned, many times, age just freezes over.

And guilt grows bigger.

It could be a push or a shove to a childhood friend, stealing, cheating, intended or unintended with consequences maybe not as horrible as we now make the out to be.

But we carry the guilt.
Of arguments, fights, hurting, leaving, not saying, saying it all wrong -

As we grow and move away and grow some more, the memories which had all colours of the spectrum and all shades of emotions, become solidified into remorse and guilt.

There is hesitation in going over and sorting out things.
Fear of rejection, more pain, ego.

So the wounds grow and fester.

Somewhere along the way, we turn them all into a cosy, comfortable quilt of guilt and feel we have finally done something about all our mistakes.

The burden we have to carry, the cross we have to bear.

But this quilt smothers.
Guilt grows inside imperceptibly, spreading it's tentacles in unconnected areas of one's lives, sucking one's growth like a parasite.

At other times, it covers up other more debilitating habits like laziness and manipulation of others.

Every action or deed is a seed.
So is every word.

But the most powerful is the thought in the mind.
It feeds on itself and changes the entire complexion of the situation to suit oneself.

Examine whether you are happy in your life.
In your relationships, your work, colleagues, friends -

There would be good things and bad things in every field.
What are you doing to correct the situations which are painful ?

What can you, personally do ?
Check and ensure that you are not operating out of guilt.

Ho'oponopono is a potent method of cleansing and empowering oneself.

Sit quietly and let your breath come to normal.
With no one particular in mind, say these 4 sentences -

1. I am sorry.
2. Please forgive me.

3. I respect you.
4. I am grateful to you.

The first 2 to apologize, the next 2 to give gratitude.
Say it to whoever comes in your mind.

You can repeat this hundreds of times a day.

Guilt is not a virtue, it is just an escape mechanism which sucks you down the vortex.
Get rid of it and live the life you came to live, the things you came to learn and enjoy.

Bye for now.