I’ve never felt guilty about anything for more than a few hours perhaps. Mostly not even that. The reason is I believe that everyone is here to make mistakes and when someone learns something from them and decides to try not to make those mistakes again, then the purpose is fulfilled imho. Perhaps I’m easy about that because until now I haven’t done anything horrible yet, as a friend once pointed out to me, she said that it’s easy for me to think this way since I’ve mostly done things by the book to use her words and the few times I did do things in a different way than many people, it was something I was entitled to. Well, I don’t know if her reasoning is right about that making it easier for me. Allah knows.
Of course if someone does something horrible and doesn’t genuinely feel bad about it and doesn’t try to amend that horrible deed in anyway, not even by repenting, then that is wrong naturally.
People are sometimes surprised about my not feeling guilty. Someone said that each person has something small or big to feel guilty about. Is that true? Are we all supposed to have something to always feel guilty about? Somehow I can’t agree with that view. I don’t think that’s the reason Allah gave us a conscience.
I've never felt guilty about anything for more than a few hours perhaps. Mostly not even that. The reason is I believe that everyone is here to make mistakes and when someone learns something from them and decides to try not to make those mistakes again, then the purpose is fulfilled imho. Perhaps I'm easy about that because until now I haven't done anything horrible yet, as a friend once pointed out to me, she said that it's easy for me to think this way since I've mostly done things by the book to use her words and the few times I did do things in a different way than many people, it was something I was entitled to. Well, I don't know if her reasoning is right about that making it easier for me. Allah knows.
Of course if someone does something horrible and doesn't genuinely feel bad about it and doesn't try to amend that horrible deed in anyway, not even by repenting, then that is wrong naturally.
People are sometimes surprised about my not feeling guilty. Someone said that each person has something small or big to feel guilty about. Is that true? Are we all supposed to have something to always feel guilty about? Somehow I can't agree with that view. I don't think that's the reason Allah gave us a conscience.
Life is not about feeling guilty only. Religion does not emphasize on guilt only. That is a wrong concept.
Its about finding balance between feeling guilty and what to do to remedy the action which brought the guilt.
Now, if you do not feel guilty for long time that is fine, as long as you do something to negate that.
If you do not feel guilty becasue you do not have concious then that is a serious problem.
Conscience wasn't granted for the sole purpose of guilt...you feel guilt when you feel you have done something wrong, or are accountable in some way and have failed in that aspect.
For instance , the famine in Africa right now. You're not supposed to feel guilty about it-you personally did not snatch food away from anyone's mouth. However your conscience will step in to remind you that while you may not be directly responsible for those millions starving, perhaps there is something you can do in the spirit of helping someone who needs it more than you. Who wouldn't want to better someone's situation, even in the smallest way?
If you have learned from your mistake, there is nothing to be guilty about. Guilt is just like any other emotion - i.e in excess, it can only cause harm.
If something makes you feel guilty, then you've already accepted that it's wrong. Correct it and learn from it and then apologize (if it's someone you've have hurt).
True for a part I think. Sometimes we feel guilty about something that wasn't our doing or something that wasn't wrong, but all based on misunderstandings for example. So feeling guilty about something doesn't always necesarily mean it was wrong, whatever it was. I think.