Paladin
Purchased Bewilderment
In the Christian way of seeing things, is there a difference between "Shame" and "Contrition"?
Peace
Mark
Peace
Mark
When we repent, we feel deep regret, or contrition, over something we have done or have failed to do.In the Christian way of seeing things, is there a difference between "Shame" and "Contrition"?
Peace
Mark
In the Christian way of seeing things, is there a difference between "Shame" and "Contrition"?
Peace
Mark
And then there's a sort of put-on humility, which is really just a game to manipulate others and avoid showing one's cards. I'm thinking of people who are always self-deprecating and will never say what it is they really mean.
Chris
Quahom1 said:I believe that is called false humility. It is also very easy to spot, if one has the "gift" of discernment. Many police officers have this gift, which is why bad guys get caught.
I once busted a Columbian with 1300 lbs of Cocaine. He, about 55, was all humility (trying to feed his wife and three kids, the whole shebang). I asked him a simple question. If you don't feed your own children Cocaine, then why would you try to feed mine the same...?
Humility evaporated "Because Americans are sh*t". I'm sure you can see my face at this point...but I was damn certain to be the epitome of a US representitive...
He professed to being catholic, so I gave him a rosary, and a military pocket Bible consisting of the new testament and Psalms (in Spanish).
Anyway, five days later we turned he and his crew over to DEA/Customs, and he looked at me and spat "you just stole my childrens' lives away!"
To which I replied, "Like you tried to steal mine?" I think that is when the realization hit him...he wasn't going back to Columbia, he had a date with a US Judge, and it was going to be a long time before he saw his family again.
Then, came the shame. This time it was legitimate. Two fathers fighting to raise their children. One was out to make a buck, and the other was out to save their lives, literally.
There is a fine line...
China Cat Sunflower said:And then there's a sort of put-on humility, which is really just a game to manipulate others and avoid showing one's cards. I'm thinking of people who are always self-deprecating and will never say what it is they really mean.
Chris
But don't you commend him for being a family man? Ok, maybe he doesn't care about other people's families, but at least he cared about his own . . . Or, are you saying that was all a lie?
Would it have been mitigating if he sold the cocaine to non-Americans (you think: who cares about the poor buggers overseas, they're not part of our country)? Not in my family, not in my country, not in my city, not on my planet, not among my people, doesn't affect me?
That might be a parallel to an "I'm doing it because I'm a patriot" argument, when say you're a weapons scientist and you sell your technology and ideas to a group of terrorists. You get away with it on the fact that the terrorists aren't opposed to your government, but are terrorists nonetheless.
Or perhaps you use underhanded methods to avoid taxes . . . Or you exceed the speed limit and say, "I exceeded the legal limit, but my actions are justified because I do it responsibly. I have an excuse. I'm a better person than other people who break the law. I'm a good guy, I don't lie, murder or steal, so I don't deserve any punishment. The law is only for bad people, not for responsible people. I sped responsibly, not recklessly like everyone else."
lol. Justify your conscience.
I hope I'm not giving anyone the wrong impression here. This post may make me sound like a shifty, devious and evil person. I was just making suggestions about evil deeds that were justifiable. I have no intention of corrupting anyone here.
But what if this guy has personal problems/issues and he just wants people to understand and not condemn? Don't we all have a life story? Aren't we all going through a process of transformation and doing our best to be our best, to be dignified people, to have self-respect, etc.?