{"sf1_id":694981,"sf2_id":"ZmM6OZpn","title":"Shameless","author":"ShingetsuMoon","words":359,"posted_at":"2014-04-20T02:23:00.000Z","tags":["Emotion","Poem","Poetry","Shame","guilt"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/694981-shameless","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/ZmM6OZpn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/13/03/13032a02-2cbc-4c95-bbe3-bf9cb846951b","description":"#19 of National Poetry Writing Month\n\nPoem number 19 for National Poetry Month! This one is about my thoughts on the difference between shame and guilt. Keep in mind this is just my thoughts/partially my own experiences here.","content":"* * *\n\nShame is pointless.  \nShame is worthless.  \nShame is useless.  \nShame is meaningless.\n\nShame is an immobilizing  \npoison that serves no purpose  \nother then to make you feel bad  \nover something you may not  \neven have done yourself.\n\nShame is a defense.  \nShame is an excuse.  \nShame is standing there feeling  \nbad for yourself when you could  \nbe doing something about it.\n\nShame is not guilt.  \nGuilt is not shame.\n\nAnyone can feel ashamed of  \nwhat they've done. But how  \nmany of them honestly feel  \nguilty over it?\n\nGuilt gnaws away at you.  \nIt stabs at you.  \nIt sinks its claws into your  \nbrain and refuses to let go  \nuntil you have gotten up and  \ndone something to fix the   \nsituation.\n\nShame is not guilt.  \nShame can be ignored.  \nGuilt cannot.\n\nShame can linger for a short  \ntime but it can also fade away  \njust as quickly as it came.\n\nIf you've done something to me then  \nI don't want you to stand there being  \nashamed of yourself. I want you to   \nfeel guilty.\n\nThose who feel truly, deeply guilty   \nare compelled to do something.  \nThose who feel shame stand   \nthere waiting for the world   \nto change around them.\n\nStanding there in shame over   \nthe sins others have committed  \nis pointless.\n\nIf you really felt that bad you  \nwould get up and do something  \nto fix it. And if you couldn't fix it  \nthen at least you would have the   \nsatisfaction of knowing you did more  \nthen just stand there watching it happen.\n\nI don't want to feel shame.  \nI want to feel guilt.  \nI don't want to stand there feeling  \nsorry for myself while  \nafter something bad happens.\n\nI want to be the one who stands  \nup and stops it from happening  \nat all. And if I couldn't stop it.  \nIf I couldn't help them then at   \nleast I know I tried my best.\n\nAt least I know I didn't leave   \nthem to suffer alone thinking  \nthat no one else noticed or cared.\n\nYou may have felt ashamed when  \nyou saw what they said but do you  \nfeel guilty?\n\nDo you even remember it at all?\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"National Poetry Writing Month","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/694572-body-art.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/695270-saving-earth.json"}}