Post #1779527
2026-02-23 21:20 UTC
@GoodNewsGreyShoes Yeah, shame is a tricky thing, and people sometimes use it to mean different things.
It's usually attached to guilt, but not always, and guilt is important because if something is wrong, well, it's wrong. There's guilt there. Shame as in contrition over wrong actions is good. Lingering shame can be very unhealthy.
I've definitely done a lot of wrong things, and I struggled to understand myself and my dragon-ness for so many years because I was doing wrong things. I had shame, and I wasn't able to forgive myself and I wasn't able to believe that God had forgiven me for what I had done.
It's definitely a complex subject, and a kinda strange one to think about.
Replies (1)
-
@GoodNewsGreyShoes@mastodon.art 2026-02-24 03:56
@dragonfriend 100%! One of the toughest parts of deeply internalized shame is simply being able to ACKNOWLEDGE it at all, in ourselves, much less talk about or process with others.🫠 (It's hard not to spiral into seclusion & despair if you feel ashamed OF feeling shame😵💫) Institutionalized religion taught me a lot I never wanted to know about weaponizing shame, despite y'know...*gestures vaguely at John 8:7-11* It helps to consider that, technically, Jesus could be considered therian.😉👼