When they entered the judge’s chamber the dog began to shiver with the cold.
“See how he trembles, Your Honor,” said the porcupine. “Isn’t that a sure sign of guilt?” (full story below)
What thing(s) have you done, lately, that you still can’t fully forgive yourself for?
You’re Only Human – Billy Joel (5:09)
Albert Ellis on the Uselessness of Guilt & Shame
Solfeggio Hz Liberation from Fear & Guilt Meditation (4:43)
The Root of the Matter –
“A porcupine came and asked a dog for food. The dog said he had no food but showed him a field of sugarcane belonging to a judge.
“Eat as much as you want,” said the dog, “but leave the roots intact so that the plants will grow again.” The porcupine found the sugarcane sweet and juicy. He began to visit the field every day. In the beginning, he ate only the stems, as directed by the dog, but after a few days he began to eat the roots too. One day the judge saw the destruction in his field and was very angry.
He called the dog and accused him of destroying his crop. The dog said it was the porcupine that was to blame. The porcupine said he was innocent and suggested that the matter be settled in court. The judge agreed.
The porcupine waited till winter set in. Then one chilly morning he went to the dog’s house and told him the judge had summoned them.
When they entered the judge’s chamber the dog began to shiver with the cold.
“See how he trembles, Your Honor,” said the porcupine. “Isn’t that a sure sign of guilt?”
“What do you have to say for yourself?” asked the judge, looking sternly at the dog.
But the dog’s teeth were chattering with the cold and he could not speak. Thinking that his silence was an admission of guilt, the judge pronounced him guilty and kicked him out of the house.
Whenever a dog barks incessantly, Africans say he is warning the judge that the porcupine has got into his field.”
(http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Root.html)
I find it is becoming more and more thought-provoking when I try to figure out if anyone is owed an apology. I know my mouth takes off well in advance of my brain (which lags somewhere in the distance). Someone recently asked if I regret part of my life and it occurred to me that I consciously choose not to regret, but to learn – what are the lessons to be learned? I’m doing better in continuing to take personal inventory, and it remains progress not perfection.
I dumped my real estate agent but didn’t get around to telling him before he found out from another source that I was using a different agent. He called me and laid on the guilt trip. I feel guilty for the way I handled it and have a few resentments over it. All I can do is learn from it and move on. But I think even in recovery things take time. It will take me a while to forgive myself and the others and just move on. But I know I will.