 Thanks for helping me be more clear
Thanks Danny for pushing me to be more clear.
When I say don't push it under the surface, I simply mean to say that is in fact harmful for a person to "bottle up" an emotion or to ignore its presence. I would never suggest to identify with an emotion, but it is completely essential to be real about where you are now to be able to move on in a substantial and lasting way.
It is easy to say, "I don't feel guilty!" to give yourself a boost of morale every once in a while, but that won't inspire any real, lasting change. I would suggest for you, SirBishop, to recognize the progression. It would be beneficial in my opinion to be honest with yourself.
1. This is what happened.
2. Guilt is the emotion that rose from that occurrence.
3. Here is what I am going to do with that feeling of guilt.
There is no place for wallowing in an emotion unnecessarily, but it is not beneficial to ignore an emotion either.
Danny, I agree that you do not have to identify with the emotion of guilt in the way that you seem to be describing the word "identify". However, I do feel that it is necessary to identify with guilt in the sense of recognizing that, "I am the one who brought this guilt -- through my thoughts, actions, etc. -- upon myself, therefore I have the power to move on from it and live in such a way that guilt is no longer a part of my life". Identifying in that sense can definitely prove to be beneficial in life.
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