The possibility of constant guilt doesn't immediately strike me as being particularly plausible. Speaking entirely personally, I've found that I haven't hung on to any sort of guilt for very long at all. I admit very freely that I was an awful liar when I was younger, and I don't mean "awful" like I was bad at it; I mean "awful" like I did it almost all the time. Long, long ago I stopped feeling any sort of guilt for things like that. It is only occassionally, when something reminded me specifically of it, that I even remembered that I might have been guilty of that at one time. I might feel guilt again when I remember what I did, but the fact is, those memories come few and far between and I don't feel a lot of remorse for anything after that. Sure, it's prefectly natural to feel guilty for the misfortunes of others, but to be frank, nobody really gives too much of a care for anything much other than themselves. Take, say, a bus ride, and you happen to overhear that somebody's relative is dying of some horrible disease. "How awful," you think, and then poof. It's gone. The feeling passes.
Same goes for guilt. Especially that for the people of Omelas. Yes, it's quite the heavy feeling of guilt, even with the guilt at the horrible status of the child being counteracted somewhat by knowing that it is not quite your fault and your fault alone. However... consciously, that is, to think exclusively of the child and to wallow in that guilt, is not only bordering on psychotic obsessiveness, but it's unhealthy. Guilt is a weighty emotion for a person to bear, never mind if that guilt was felt constantly. People who feel constant guilt go mad. People who think they are forever doing things wrong, failing somehow, form tragic complexes and psychological problems. Therefore, really, feeling constant guilt of any sort is really not so much a show of compassion and concern so much as an indicator of psychological ill-being.
Hi Danica,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your thoughts! I appreciate the way you have incorporated personal examples into your response to answer this tough question. That approach will be necessary as we deal with complex (but relatable) issues all semester on the blog.
Your example shows that, in most cases, feelings of guilt fade away - no matter what we are feeling guilty about. In many ways, as your point out, this is good for our social and mental health. However, can you think of any situations in which it might be a good idea to hold onto guilt? Is there any way that we could carry guilt forever that would not harm us psychologically? Could we hold onto guilt and turn these feelings into something productive - perhaps taking action about the issue that makes us feel guilty?
Your answer relates very well to the issues raised by Le Guin in her short story. However, I would to see you explore these connections in a bit more detail. This will show how her work has real-life implications.
- Patrick