what does this mean the punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guil we impose on?

Question

please explain this to me~ the punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we impose on ourselves

Answer 1

well...think about it this way:

let's say u are a child. ur mother told u to stay away from the glass statue. u really liked it and wanted to touch it, just once. more likely than not, because u are a child and clumsy, u end up dropping it, and it breaks. you are SO SCARED, and you feel SO BAD, because u knew it was a bad mistake, and that it was your fault, and now ur gonna get in trouble.

sometimes that Guilt ends up being worse than the Punishment... ie the mom does get mad but is still your mother. still loves you. will still take care of you. so the guilt that you felt, and you crying, may be worse than a punishment that could be inflicted (time out, sitting in a corner).

very simple metaphor, but hopefully it helps. btw, it only works if the person truly feels guilty about what was done...people who don't give a CRAP about what happens don't usually feel guilty on their own accord

Answer 2

It means, broken down: if you do something "bad", you will be punished by society or by the person you did something to; but that punishment won't be as hard to live with as the guilt you will carry for doing the bad deed. In short, the guilt from yourself is worse than the punishment given to you from someone else.

Answer 3

that guilt will eat you alive

Like that Poe story the Raven