Guilt and Being

Our past haunts us, dogs our every step. Our past is always there. Some say our past catches up with us. I would say our past travels with us because every decision we make, on a daily basis, is tempered by what we have known in the past or indeed experienced in the past. Society is guilt ridden. Guilt is foisted upon us by societal norms in order for us to follow the structures that have been established ostensibly for our own good. But it is these very structures that inhibit our growth in our spiritual self.
For the longest time,I held on to guilt about what I had done to others and to myself in this life. This guilt almost crippled me. It hamstrung my own development and I lived in this miserable state with the guilt weighing me down. Yes I had failed as a husband(more than once), I had failed as a father(hopelessly) and I had failed myself. But I was so busy trying to BE that entity that I had lost sight of the true me,the one who could simply BE. And learning to BE doesnt make all those issues go away. Not at all. They will always be there because they have already been done. But what BEING does, is to change the perception that although I may regret things of the past, I dont need to feel the societal guilt of the circumstance. And the choices I made will directly influence the outcomes. But in all of this I can still BE. The gods have known long before what was to pass and they let us think we are controlling our lives when in fact, all we are controlling is EACH OTHERS lives because it is in the nature of humans to focus anywhere BUT on their own imperfections. This in essence, prevents us from being in control of the most important thing. Our mission in this life.
Guilt is also a handy tool to divert attention from ourselves and onto others. Sadly, it is a tool used by religion all too often. Guilt should be seen as responsibility. Or caution. We make choices. If we dont get the outcome we desire are we guilty? Or responsible? Life is all about choices.
Guilt is about the here and now. BEING is about eternity. Do we live for everything we are in this life,fleeting though it may be, or do we look beyond that and leave a spiritual legacy for others to follow?