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Kristin's avatar

Thank you for this, Julian. I think most of us deal with some level of shame and guilt in our lifetime, and it may be evolutionarily hardwired, as Mullet says in his response below, for a reason. For it is moving through shame and guilt, and coming to terms with our own aching humanity, that we can arrive at a place of grace. Grace is a hard-earned reward for soul searching and internalizing a better belief system that reminds of the divine within and without. We are indeed forged by fire.

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Mullet Snyder, the Lying Poet's avatar

Shame is evolutionarily hardwired and socially reinforced through gossip, mockery and moralizing behavior.

Moralizing punishers seek out Free Riders within a society; e.g., individuals who don’t contribute their fair share and attempt to parasitize a community of its resources through their action or inaction.

Free riding could simply be shirking, or at the other end of the behavior range, could involve something like stealing.

Individuals who attempt to dominate other individuals and co-opt their labor and resources unfairly, can also be seen as free riders.

Ultimately, the dynamic between moralizing punishers and free riders determines whether a given community is a cooperative or a competitive community.

So, within this context, shame can be a positive force that maintains cooperation within a community.

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