The TLC  Philosophy 

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#36   Guilt 

Guilt is the world's most destructive emotion.  

Guilt, by its very nature, seeks punishment.    Feeling guilty for making a mistake is like using fire to burn your own house down.

To act with positive and loving intentions and miss the mark is simple part of life’s process.   If you knew a better way, you would have taken that other action.   You didn’t know then what you know now.   That knowledge is your Buddha gift.°    It’s your reward for your action that missed the intended mark.

Antiquated Trash:   The belief that "to make a mistake is to be guilty"  is antiquated trash.   Making mistakes is simply part of the human learning process.   Forget the antiquated programming about moral judgments.   Forget the antiquated garbage about guilt over an action the misses the mark.   Simply ask, did my action produce the desired result?

Unless your intent is to con and manipulate others, guilt is also the world's  most useless emotion.   If your intention is to do something that you know will harm others, that’s another story for another time.

How Life Works:   Taking an action that does not produce the desired results is just one part of the trial and mid-course correction process.   It’s the way life on Earth works.   Examine:
      1)  the circumstance, (the context)  
      2)  the available resources, 
      3)  what more is needed, and
then take the best guess you can about what will produce the desired result and then act upon that best guess.

If the action does not produce the desired result, analyze the result, and the new context in which you find yourself, and come up with a next best guess about what to do next.    Then initiate another action.   The process continues until, either you give up or you accomplish your goal.   Guilt is not part of the process.   

Awareness:   If you've taken an action that resulted in hurting someone or something, your inner self says, in essence: "Now that you know the result of that action, don't do that again."   Missing the mark is a learning process, not cause to punish anyone, including yourself. 

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TLC Philosophy in Summary       ...

#37   TLC Philosophy in Summary:

Love "The source of All!"   Love your Neighbor!   Love Yourself!

   Seek the truth at all times, above all else.

   Honor life by living in harmony with all of its creations.

    Study to know and understand yourself.

   Be your own being.   Understand the reality and the power of your  beliefs, your thoughts, your words and your emotions. 

   Accept the responsibility for what you are, for where you  are and for your own conditions and experiences.

   Keep your able body physically and financially self-supporting.

   Be tolerant and allowing of yourself and to the ways of others.

   Acknowledge, honor and respect the essence and the uniqueness of every living being, including yourself.

   Be helpful or neutral to ALL others in thought, word and deed.

   Be a student of beauty in all of its forms.

   Know love!   Know joy and laughter.

   Be a student of freedom, joy, truth, justice, and efficiency.

   Always operate within the context of whatever is right, wise and just for all concerned in the long run.

   Be generous with the bounty that is bestowed upon you.

   Remember, happiness is an inside job.

   PLAY your way to your next level of awareness.

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