Absolve

Absolve

To set free: release from responsibility, obligation, or the consequences of guilt. To be released from such ties as would be guilty to violate. To be free from a spiritual penalty.

Guilt - failure in respect to one's duty. A believed state of deserved punishment. Just punishment. A breach of conduct or a violation of moral and ethical standards. Shameful behavior.

It is easy to violate or trespass upon those whose esteem we hold most dear. We formulate grand justifications for our actions within the moment we voluntarily choose to set these actions in motion. We draw many lines of thought together to strengthen our deliberated intent, gifting these thoughts with internal self-representations to allow these thoughts to power our actions, pushing back at our underlying moral or ethical code of conduct. In the aftermath of such behavior violations, this 'false' power dwindles and fades to leave the individual standing within the ruin of their action. This type of self-assault or self-battery is common among individuals with unresolved or unacknowledged self-esteem problems. It is a way for the 'unworthy' inner self to destroy the 'worthy' esteem in which they are held by those whose opinion is of the most value to the individual. Many find the experience of being worthy or of personal value intolerable within their concept of how they view themselves. By constructing a destructive or violent action, they can remove themselves from this position of fear. Being worthless is a 'known', being worthy is a terrifying unknown. Every moment is fraught with the fear of falling. When that fear becomes overwhelming, then the individual will cause the fall themselves to remove the stress and anxiety and return themselves to where they believe they belong as unworthy of respect, value, or the esteem of others.

In considering such violations, we often face the challenge of offering 'absolution' to the violator. Granting 'release' removes the individual's just responsibility, thereby diminishing the very relationship they have violated. Refusing 'release' may leave them in a state of ongoing spiritual penalty. Moreover, both release and non-release can perpetuate the violator's self-assault, seen in morbid self-reproach, personal inadequacy, self-absorption, and excessive guilt and shame. These feelings may be imposed on others, reinforcing the individual's belief in their own unworthiness. In turn, this can become an excuse for further destructive actions in which the individual 'punishes' those who care for or esteem them.

The only remaining choice is not to offer absolution to others. The concept of release or freedom from responsibility from ones actions is without a positive outcome for anyone involved. This choice allows one to refrain from participation in the 'self-assault' actions of others and maintains the 'ownership' of one's actions by the person taking the action. The violator cannot look 'outside' for succor or relief from the weight or damage of the actions they take. The only true action of remorse that can be taken by a violator is to correct their behavior or action from within in all future involvement's. This 'action' will, in and of itself, demonstrate to others a 'real' decision, not a 'verbal' decision, reflecting the violator's acknowledgment of their behaviors, their ownership of these behaviors, and their truthful desire to alter these behaviors from within. The source of behavior is within, as is the correction of violating behavior against others.

We all live with the consequences of the choices we make; some of these consequences are physical, and many are mental, emotional, and spiritual. In addressing the violations we commit, we are exposed to viewing aspects of ourselves that are selfish, petty, childish, cruel, and at times very ugly. We endure these revelations, never quite escaping the sight of them once exposed. Our knowledge of our own weaknesses should humble us in our attempts to sit in judgment upon others, should teach us a deeper level of respect, and clear away the rubble of our machinations against ourselves. As someone famous once stated, "fear is the mind killer". Fight what you fear, find the courage to be worthy and of value first in your own eyes. Put aside the self-absorption of guilt and shame. Grasp honor and dignity.

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