Authentic Living

“What’s-a-mattah? Got a guilty conscience?” Remember hearing this as a child? I do. And I remember that having a “guilty conscience” meant that you’d done something wrong. When you put that in reverse, you come to understand that we might not know we’ve “done wrong” unless we have a “guilty conscience.” We were all raised on this notion that guilt is a good thing. It helps us know when we’ve done or are about to do something wrong. On the other hand we all know those people who identify as “guilty”. They introduce their problem with guilt by saying “I’m a good Catholic,” or “I’m Jewish,” or “I was raised Baptist.” What these more extreme illustrations clearly demonstrate is that guilt is taught. In other words, guilt is not natural to us. Many would say, “well, of course it isn’t, that’s why we need to teach people to feel guilty.” But what if guilt, any guilt, actually blocks the pathway to an authentic connection to the divine? Let’s talk about it.