What Are We Feeling So Guilty About?

NB - I started writing this post back on 1st January, but abandoned it… Finally got around to finishing it today. So by yesterday I actually mean last year - geddit? Gah I’m out of date

Go Directly To Jail

Image credit 427 via flickr.

Yesterday on BBC Breakfast News they were talking about guilt, what it is, why we suffer from it, and whether perhaps it ought to be a medical condition.

I’d link to something on the BBC website about now, but despite doing several searches it appears that there’s nothing there. If anyone is more successful in locating something please let me know and I’ll drop a link.

So, what is guilt?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary guilt is defined as:

1. the fact of having committed an offence or crime. 
2. a feeling of having done something wrong or failed in an obligation

Ok, so that’s a pretty straight down the line definition. For my purposes definition number two is perhaps most pertinent. But the definition leaves me a little cold.

It doesn’t really fully express, the nasty, gut-wrenching feeling of guilt. Or worse, that dull ache, where you’re just plain dissatisfied with yourself.

It’s a feeling I’m well acquainted with.

On the BBC they argued that sometimes guilt is a healthy thing - something which helps us to moderate our behaviour. To an extent I agree, but surely just feeling nasty about yourself, because of inconsequential nonsense is anything but healthy.

I feel guilty about all sorts of things which really don’t matter… I feel guilty when I throw away food, because it’s gone off and I haven’t got around to eating it. I feel guilty when I throw something in a litter bin which could have been recycled. I feel guilty about not going to the gym enough. I feel guilty when I accidentally leave a light on all day.

Pointless.

Not to mention the guilt I feel about stupid throw-away comments I’ve made, which I’m fairly certain other people don’t even recall.

What’s worse is that this type of guilt doesn’t really work for me; in that it doesn’t make me modify my behaviour, I just continue down the same path.

So what is the point of this sort of guilt?

I keep promising myself that I won’t sweat the small stuff. But I’m not quite there. Yet.

It occurs to me that I might just be addicted to guilt.

Can you relate? Wanna join my support group - guiltoholics (not quite) anonymous? Share your inconsequential feelings of guilt here.

…But please don’t admit to any kind of actual crimes as I’d be morally obliged to report you. Which would then of course provide me with a whole new bundle of things to feel guilty about.