On life (142) -”Remorse” – 23/9/2016

   He sneaked to his room and closed the door. Then, he threw himself on the nearest sofa he found. He did not know what to do for he was exceedingly puzzled. His mind was full of deafening sounds. Yet, nothing seemed so domineering, or even half so painful as those feelings… feelings of “I wish I had never done so! How come I did not realize it? It is too late!” Tears ensued.

   Humans experience a variety of feelings, be they ones of happiness or sadness. Yet, the most impactful of all is remorse. Remorse is said to be “reason that is never restored on time.” Remorse is quite hard; it snatches all the happiness one might ever feel, for it is too strenuous to “understand things when time had already gone.”

   This feeling alights on one when he feels he made a mistake in handling a certain issue. The more important the issue is, the more bitter remorse becomes. Too much remorse, however, can ruin man’s life. Yet, we ask ourselves, “Is there a ‘desirable’ remorse?”

   Yes, there is. Remorse is always desirable when man regrets his sins and repents. It is also desirable when it motivates him to change to the better. With repentance, the gates of hope open wide before humanity, thus, annihilating all misery and despair. Also, should remorse lead man to retract from unwise stances or behaviors which are remote from goodness, then it is desirable. If you find out you misjudged somebody, regret it (without pondering over the matter and ruining your life), and make the required decisions to correct your mistake, then this is desirable.

   Once upon a time, there was a man called Peter. Peter was a tax collector. He was so cruel and greedy that the poor used to avoid him! It came to pass that he ran into a beggar who asked him for charity. Peter scolded the beggar, but the latter was adamant, which made Peter seize a dry loaf of bread from his servant’s hand and throw it at the beggar mercilessly. Surprisingly enough, the beggar took it and left happily. That night did not pass as peacefully as the others did. Rather,… we shall continue.

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center