Guilt-A Driving Force In Young Adults
How the negative connotations of guilt may be giving us the wrong idea about our lives
The word guilt in the majority of people's minds is the thought of a lingering idea that someone carries in response to a traumatic event or something they wish they could change. There will always be people who use guilt to manipulate others feelings or control their emotions. While most people are able to feel this sympathy there are some who simply do not experience the feeling of guilt. I will admit, I'm one of the people who believed that guilt only caused you pain and suffering.
Believed. That is until I became aware of the positives. Guilt can be used as a test of character and it shows who a person truly is.
Most young adults within a year of graduation from college are struggling in one of the three areas. Financially. They have broken out of mom and dad's household rules and wallet benefits. Physically. What they are putting into their bodies is far worse than any ingredients in Kool Aid.
Lastly and most importantly, mentally. Some people have figured out what they want to do with their lives and their future career paths. Others are struggling just to find themselves and make it through the day. Guilt is something that is personal and affects each individual differently. There are people who handle guilt in negative ways and there are others who choose to cope in healthy ways. To assume how somebody else is carrying and handling guilt would be impossible.
Paying bills each month and continuing to meet rent deadlines is one of the biggest struggles as a young adult. Sometimes a torn down, roach infested apartment is all someone can afford. In most scenarios people regret going to college. In their mind, the guilt is coming from choosing education over being there for family or going straight into a career field.
They might carry this guilt until it impacts their social skills and ability to function in daily life.
The guilt of being a disappointment if they fail out of college or don't make it far enough. Not to mention the loads of money dumped into schooling that can only create debt. While at college, I have seen first hand the expression of guilt on people's faces as they are overloaded with school work and regret their decision on furthering their education. These peers that I pass everyday are full of guilt and their efforts in school reflect this.
With the costs of groceries, clothing, housing and other living expenses, money is extremely tight for most young adults. There is give and take in certain areas and for most people, keeping their body physically healthy is not a priority. Choosing cheap microwavable dinners to eat and regretting it later that night is the agenda for most college students.
The guilt of not being able to have those home cooked meals that you definitely took for granted. There was a girl who complained about her mom making chicken almost every night for dinner. She watched her mom work for hours on creating a meal for dinner and complained about the smell of brussel sprouts. Now, that girl would give anything to have one of those meals right now. Just to smell that kitchen would be enough. That girl is me. It's the guilt of not appreciating real things when you had it that drives people to get to that point. To push themselves further and get through this now so that they can return to that familiar place.
If we all continued to assume that there were no benefits of guilt. Nothing good would ever come from it and we are all going to carry personal thunderclouds over our heads for the rest of our lives, were not going to get anywhere. Where there is true potential, is realizing that guilt makes us stronger people. When we feel this regret, we know we care. It shows that we are morally good humans and can stop us if we're making a terrible call. Where someone might not see the harm, guilt can prove that we are making the wrong call and need to change our ways. If you choose to change your viewpoint on guilt, it can be used as a reminder to treat people with respect and kindness.
