Theme
The theme for this episode is Shame.
If you liked what you heard, share it with a friend. Thanks for listening. See you on your next visit to the pond.
My Haiku & Reflections
I want to be me
You tell me that I cannot
I hide in darkness
To feel shame is to feel guilt or impropriety about something we said or did. We learn this from signals sent to us by others, either through their own actions or words.
In some instances, this can be a good thing. For example, if you say something hurtful to someone else and then you’re admonished, or made to feel shame about it, the hope is that you’ll not repeat the same error.
However, like so many things we humans do, this can act like a double-edged sword and can act against our best interests. We can be shamed for things we have no control over, like the family or place we were born into, or for simply choosing to be our true, authentic self.
And when this happens we often choose to hide in darkness, first as a means of protection, but it eventually evolves into a prison — a prison of our own making, the worst kind. Breaking out of this prison is hard, but not impossible. And it starts in the very darkness where we’re trapped.
In that dark place, like in any place, we have to be mindful. Mindful of what we’re feeling and how we’re thinking. When we’re mindful we can then adjust the course of our well-being, particularly that of our inner world.
Shame can be useful just as it can be harmful. Only when we’re mindful can we discern the difference. In that mindful state, we can ask ourselves how this is serving us? Or what it is telling us?
All emotions — regardless of how you categorize them, positive or negative — are information. It is the information our brain is providing to us and we have to use it accordingly.
More precisely, our emotions, thoughts, and feelings are signals to us. They tell us something about our state of being, or even the environment we’re in. By being mindful can we tune in to what they’re telling us.
Shame is no different from any other emotion we might feel. It is a signal to us about our inner or outer world. And when we’re mindful of its presence and the signal it sends to us, we can act accordingly to ensure the stability of our inner well-being and the safety of our outer well-being.
This is the lesson I take from this haiku. As always, you can share your thoughts by sending an email to thehaikupond (at) gmail (dot) com.
Featured Haiku & Poets
From Mona Bedi:
first day of school
the boy brings home
an extra pencil
From Melody Wang on TW & IG as MelodyOfMusings:
those attempts to wound
the fabric of my soul gave
me more room to breathe
From Linda M. Crate on Twitter as thysilverdoe & on IG as authorlindamcrate:
someone is angry
another won’t admit fault
neither will know peace.
From Mark Hitri on TW as HitriMark & on IG as the_cellopoet:
when others do wrong
it’s because I have failed them
though I knew better
From Charlotte Reynolds on twitter as violetvicinity:
dawn chorus
the milkman cries
over spilled milk
From Christina Chin at haikuzyg.blogspot.com:
panic at the car park
fumbling to unlock
a mistaken car
From Charissa Hooyman on TW as CharissaHooyman:
You are different
Don’t let people cause you shame
Embrace uniqueness
From Haiku Nocturnal on Twitter as HaikuNocturnal:
Your mouth full of ash,
Achievements crumbled to dust;
Then I’ll be avenged
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