You often used the word "shame" when describing your thoughts about your past behaviors. Shame is external; it's what others aim at us. What you're really referring to is "guilt." Guilt is internal. We feel guilt, but shame is what others ascribe to us. This is a subtle, but important, distinction. Anybody can be shamed, but only the truly introspective can feel guilt. BTW, I suspect that your cousin Marge is my friend.
Maya Angelou said "when you know better, do better." Shame teaches us that. We all will make many mistakes throughout our lives. The question is: what will we do about it? I admire your honesty when you write about your past, and say this was/is me. Definitely, never too late change!
You often used the word "shame" when describing your thoughts about your past behaviors. Shame is external; it's what others aim at us. What you're really referring to is "guilt." Guilt is internal. We feel guilt, but shame is what others ascribe to us. This is a subtle, but important, distinction. Anybody can be shamed, but only the truly introspective can feel guilt. BTW, I suspect that your cousin Marge is my friend.
Not according to the dictionary. But I appreciate you make these distinctions for yourself.
No criticism intended. I was just paraphrasing what a good mental health therapist told me.
Oh I didn’t take it as criticism. I just checked to make sure I wasn’t misusing the word.
Maya Angelou said "when you know better, do better." Shame teaches us that. We all will make many mistakes throughout our lives. The question is: what will we do about it? I admire your honesty when you write about your past, and say this was/is me. Definitely, never too late change!