relationship

Shame, guilt

häpeä, syyllisyys

Emotions of shame and guilt are often mixed up, but they are confoundly different in ways they affect us. Guilt is directed to moral actions, while shame is directed to a person, to one’s very self. When one feels shame, they are unable to act. But the feeling of guilt is not as all-consuming, and can even be constructive.

Media coverage of the climate crisis has been accused of being misleading and causing exaggerated panic. People also might mix up feeling they have been blamed for something when feeling guilty after reading facts about for example emissions from flying. Guilt implies we care, either about nature or the opinions of others. Guilt is not a feeling we should avoid, but try to harness it towards better actions, tooled up with empathy and empowerment.