[bronxville]

“In time the guilt will go.”

God bless her. In time it will get worse...a lot worse. It’s a heavy burden to carry for the rest of ones life.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I think sometimes people make a little deal with themselves: they will wring their hands and say they feel guilty, awful guilty, and then do the foul act anyway. Feeling "guilty" in effect gives them permission to do the awful deed, because it proves that they are still decent people, after all.

People express how bad they feel about dumping their spouse; or not spending time with their aging, declining mother; or bombing civilians; or something of that sort. Even Anders Breivik said he knew shooting down those teenagers was "cruel" (or perhaps his word was "atrocious"). And feeling bad about it makes the individual feel better about it, even makes them feel more justified in a sense, because it convinces them that they are sensitive, they are not total barbarians, not monsters, not really, not deep down.

Or so they tell themselves.

[EDINVA]

She probably had to keep telling herself the guilt will go away in order to get through the procedure. Problem is, as you say, it only gets worse with the passage of time. She’ll note every birthday that never was until the ay she dies.