Twelve Promises

[icouldnotkeep]

Sakura-chan's gone. I wonder if she'll ever come back. I kind of hope she doesn't, because...of all people, I think she would have hated it here.

Noisy mean chick, if you didn't find your way out of this place yet, you should come eat with me.

So hey you guys...

Hey.

What's the difference between guilt and remorse?

[ooc: Thanks to the

Comments

[somekindofsin]

Well! Both guilt and remorse are characterized by self-reproach, but I would hardly call them the same thing. Guilt is a feeling of fault for past offenses (real or imagined), whereas remorse is an emotional distress resulting from the presence of guilt. You can feel guilty without experiencing remorse, but you can't be remorseful without first feeling guilty.

[icouldnotkeep]

Well then what if you felt guilty before but suddenly you're feeling remorseful?

I'm no good at this stuff.

[somekindofsin]

Then you're experiencing both, and you might as well determine the source of your guilt, confront it, and overcome it before it devours you and forces you to spend the rest of your natural life brooding.

[icouldnotkeep]

That's what I'm worried about.

[somekindofsin]

I can't offer further advice, of course, as I don't know the specifics of your situation, but trust me when I say that a good deal of guilt is unwarranted. There's forgiveness everywhere, if you look for it.

[icouldnotkeep]

I guess so. That sounds like something my old teacher would say.

[somekindofsin]

You don't believe me though, do you?

Then again, it seems that the hardest person to forgive is yourself. You might have to start there.

[icouldnotkeep]

I want to believe you, because if it sounds like something he would say, it's probably true.

But it kind of runs counter to a lot of what I've actually experienced.

[somekindofsin]

Oh, good! At least I'm not dispensing false advice, then.

I have a friend who has more than his fair share of guilt and remorse. I haven't found a way to convince him to forgive himself, so I highly doubt I'm capable of convincing you to allow yourself to be forgiven.

[icouldnotkeep]

I just let a friend do something very stupid and I broke a promise to him. I should get over it, but instead I just get more upset and more angry.

[somekindofsin]

Ah... well. Don't expect yourself to recover immediately, of course--emotions are entirely normal, even if they're bothersome. Does this friend of yours forgive you?

[icouldnotkeep]

I don't know. He used to want me dead, so.

[somekindofsin]

That's... somewhat complicated, yes. Assuming he doesn't want to kill you at the moment, you might go about seeking forgiveness. If he does... well. Hiding has worked well for me in the past.

[icouldnotkeep]

I can't hide though, because he's my responsibility.

[somekindofsin]

Oh my. In that case, I certainly hope he doesn't want to kill you, and I wish you all the best luck.

[icouldnotkeep]

What's your name? I'm Naruto.