Guilty by Association

We received a comment about the post, titled, "Guilty as Charged". So, let's go back and try to elaborate more on this theme.

When talking about that nasty feeling called, guilt; my tendency is to relate it still to the mechanism of equilibrium and disequilibrium; and its connection to vengeance.

As we said in the post, "Illusory Equilibrium", say, the consciousness receives an external stimulus that put it in disequilibrium, the natural tendency of the consciousness is to react and to try to bring back its "lost" integrity by bringing itself back to equilibrium. It has to get even (vengeance) what was now uneven. But, the reaction is usually an over-reaction (or is perceived as over-reaction); and so either, a greater counter-action is received in return, or if there is none, somehow, the feeling of guilt is felt, because it satisfies the void created by the absence of the counter-action. In other words, Feeling guilty somehow gives the consciousness the illusion of equilibrium. It is akin to self-punishment. So, if we do not receive the expected "vengeance", we create the "vindication" ourselves by feeling guilty.

It does seem to me that this mechanism of equilibrium and disequilibrium has a lot to do with the act-object structure. All acts made by the consciousness just cannot not have an object to complete its act. It also cannot receive an act without it reacting to to the said act. It could react externally or internally, or both. It could react instinctively, or it could react intentionally.

Say, as an example, we give our love to someone and it is not returned as deep as our love and/or as deeply as we expected it to be. Somehow, we feel a sort of injustice -- because our ACT (which is loving the other really deeply) is not returned. But, without realizing it, maybe, the "return" is already "present" within us. The "return", without knowing it, is actually the joy of feeling the really deep love we feel for the other. The expected "reward" was already awarded as soon as we felt the deep love for the other.

When one gives something -- anything, anytime, every time -- I say that one need not wait for it to be returned, because the "return" is automatic. The "return" is built-in in the giving. The "return" is in the joy of the giving. The equilibrium has been reestablished already as soon as we made the valid act. All valid acts are coherent acts, and therefore these acts are always balanced. Everything is in total agreement.

Anyway, if what you gave is indeed returned; then, you did not actually give anything, did you?

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