The Power of Guilt
While it may not be immediately clear, our positive actions are but a consequence of our innate need to compensate for our misdeeds.
This idea is made evident in Marvel superhero movies and DC comics, but in everyday life it can become difficult to pinpoint the meaning behind each act of kindness or hatred.
In a just world, every crime must be punished and there must always be an overarching balance to create harmony where chaos used to thrive.
At times, we lose ourselves in torrents of tweets and fail to extract the reasoning for the actions of those we adore most.
It’s easier to believe that every act of charity is due to the goodwill of mankind, rather than burrow into the brains of our idols and find the exact cause of charitable actions.
Guilt can move us in ways that no other emotion can. It can make us nicer and stronger, or it can cripple us and make us less forgiving.
Is it possible, then, that guilt is what drives influential people not only to absolution, but also to resolution?
Does that make Bill Gates, the most charitable person in the United States, the guiltiest of them all?
If that’s the case, that would make Jeff Bezos the least guilty, since he’s donated the smallest amount proportional to his net income.
No, I don’t think that’s it.
Guilt may lead criminals to seek the forgiveness of those they’ve hurt or encourage them to hide from their shame and cause them to re-offend.
In other words, it can have multiple effects, but what matters is how an individual responds to such a powerful emotion.
We can choose to cower and hide, or we can use that guilt to push ourselves forward.
Harnessing the power of guilt is like how superheroes use their superpowers for the betterment of the world; or, at least, it can be.
Guilt, by itself, is not a superpower. However, what we do to counteract that inevitable feeling can be the difference between becoming a villain or a superhero.
