Punishment: Self Emasculation

Ok.  So I bought the new Metallica album.

And when I listened to the song The Unforgiven III, (a song which has been plaguing m mind now for almost 24 hours) a few things occurred to me which I’d like to share with the one or two readers of my page.

I Believe:

We are all punishing ourselves in one way or another.  There isn’t a person I know, or have known to any degree of depth or extent who isn’t actively, unconsciously (passively?), punishing themselves.  And as the song says ‘when it’s me I can’t forgive’.

It seems this is a basic element of the ‘natural’ human condition.  We are each our own judge, jury and executioner.  Inside each of us, in our hearts, we torture ourselves with self reflection: in order to find new directions.  It’s our fears that drive us – mostly.  Primary amongst them:  the fear of repeating the mistakes we have made.  And how do we prevent ourselves from dong just that?  By punishing ourselves by refusing to forgive ourselves for the things we have done to hurt those around us, or to hurt ourselves.

Self forgiveness it seems may be one of the most elusive of human emotions; the most elemental obstacles of the human condition.

So says me.

And this I Believe

-JA