Got Guilt?

I have to admit it; I took that "Got Guilt" slogan from a bumper sticker that I saw.  Why do I have to say that?  Well, I guess if I didn't, I would feel guilty for taking something and presenting it as my own idea.  Guilt can be fascinating.  It is definitely a big part of my Jewish culture.  You know, the whole Jewish Mother thing.

Lately, one of the types of guilt that I have been experiencing is "blog guilt."  I never had blog guilt before.  It came out of the blue and hit me last week.  It is not guilt regarding writing fewer blog posts, but guilt regarding the actual blog writing process itself.  With more and more people dealing with job loss, lay offs, companies closing, poverty, lack of medical insurance, etc - it has seemed increasingly difficult to write about things which may be quite meaningless - in the big picture that is.  It is similar to that feeling of it not seeming "right" when laughing about something soon after a death or loss.

Perhaps guilt gets a bad rap.  Some guilt - guilt that is not debilitating - may actually be a good thing.  It means that a human has empathy and a conscience.  It demonstrates that an individual thinks about someone other than him or herself.  Thankfully, I believe that we finally have a President in the White House who is capable of feeling guilt.  I don't think that either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton were big "guilt" feelers - at least while they were each in office.  

So, although I am not Catholic, I am appreciative of being able to have this blog "confession." Humans are resilient, and most guilt does not stick around permanently - at least not guilt regarding one issue.  Once you get rid of one kind of guilt - there's usually another type ready to take its place.  

Oh - before I go - I just wanted to share a Joan Rivers joke that she used to tell.  I am paraphrasing - but it goes something like - "Did you ever see a Jewish porno movie - it is 5 minutes of sex and 1&1/2 hours of guilt."