How to Transform the Guilt of Gossip Into Love
Someone whose story you gossiped about could become someone you honor like a teacher.
Why can gossip leave you feeling guilt or shame?
When you listen to or speak gossip about someone, you may later feel guilt or shame because you helped turn another person's story into something people judge them for.
But what if you learned something important from their story?
How can you transform the guilt of gossip into love?
You can begin transforming that guilt into love by appreciating what their experiences taught you and choosing to honor them instead of judging them.
We honor teachers because they help us gain wisdom. We honor parents because of what they have given us.
Do you need to admire someone's behavior to love them?
Even someone's foolish behavior, mistakes, or suffering can contribute to our wisdom. You don't need to admire their behavior to love them or appreciate what their story taught you.
Appreciating what someone's story taught you can help you develop love for them. Instead of defining them by their mistakes, you begin caring about their goodness and wanting others to see the good in them too.
What does the World of Souls teach about judging others?
Chassidus [Jewish mysticism] teaches us to think about a future in which the wisdom gained through overcoming suffering becomes deeply meaningful.
Imagine the World of Souls [Jewish tradition describes you continuing with the personality you developed during your lifetime, experiencing emotions without a physical body. The ultimate future, however, is in the physical world, after the resurrection of the dead for all nations], where you understand how much wisdom you gained from the stories of other people.
If you spent your life judging them without recognizing what they contributed to your wisdom, that understanding could become a source of guilt and shame.
But if you recognized what their experiences taught you and chose to honor them while you were still alive, you might experience greater love and appreciation for their contribution to your wisdom in the World of Souls, rather than regret over how you treated them.
How can shame become a source of wisdom, love, and honor?
The goal is not to make someone's mistakes their identity. It is to help turn what was once a source of shame into a source of wisdom, love, and honor.
That transformation can begin today, by repairing the harm we caused, speaking about others with greater compassion, and choosing to love and honor the people we have learned from.
________________
Related guides:
Gossip can cause disunity: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HAcpN7cmq/
Jewish mysticism explains the structure of the human personality and how to repair it
The deepest relationship isn't about what you feel
#NextSelf #kabbalah #HealingJourney
“You can transform the guilt of gossip into love.”
Explore the NextSelf Blog. Start with this post explaining the world of souls, and what does it mean to be light? And my Youtube. Content is published to this facebook first and a few days later, to the blog.
The blog lists all the difference patterns to study, understanding patterns is how one can develop 'Daas' [felt knowing].
Content does not provide medical services or professional counseling, and it is not a substitute for professional medical care.