Shame is unpleasant and uncomfortable. It can fill you with so much humiliation that sometimes if feels better to just ignore the incident that has caused it. Even after many years of therapy, I sometimes I get paralyzed by it, failing when it comes to taming the beast.
These days I have been feeling a considerable amount of shame. The source has been mostly associated with race relations and how I have been a dangerous, silent bystander. I think a lot about my lack of reaction to past incidents and I feel an immeasurable amount of shame at what I view as my complicity. It is hard to stay silent in these times and even harder to do so while managing your own shortcomings.
