Can Guilt Be Useful?

Questioner: I wanted to understand what exactly guilt is.

Acharya Prashant: Guilt can be both a hugely liberating factor, liberating you from the little self, and guilt can equally be a great defense of the ego. What does guilt say? Let’s first of all look at it. Guilt says, “I am better than how and what I did.” Right? Guilt says, “I am better than my actions,” or “I am better than my thoughts. I am better than the account I gave of myself on a particular occasion or on multiple occasions.” That’s what guilt says.

So, guilt says, “I am a resident of the tenth floor, but unfortunately and accidentally, I dropped down to the second floor.” That you are operating from the second floor is a fact; there need not be any imagination in this. But that you belong to the tenth floor is a presumption, is a declaration that only you have certified to yourself.

What is the fact of one’s life? That one is operating from the first floor or second floor. But what does one think about himself? “I belong to the tenth floor,” and this is guilt. “I am actually better, but I am not living as per my sublime self.” This is guilt. Now, this can work both ways. It can encourage you to really move upstairs, or it can console you and comfort you into remaining where you are. You could say, “What a shame that a resident of the tenth floor is found rolling on the second floor,” or you could say, “Oh, when I actually do already belong to the tenth floor, it’s alright if accidentally I happen to be spotted on the second floor. These are minor accidents, they don’t count. My real place is anyway on the tenth floor. That’s my home.”