Tag Archives: Guilt

 

Any death produces guilt. A son dies of plague, and the mother will berate herself for not taking the child away to somewhere safe before disease struck. A man falls to his death, and his wife will think, “If only I had asked him to stay home today.” It is the nature of good people to draw burdens to themselves. All tragedy could be avoided, if only we knew it; therefore when it strikes we blame ourselves.

Shalitar, to Druss, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend

 

Guilt always follows bereavement. It is a natural part of the process. Someone we love dies and the first question we ask ourselves is: could we have done anything to prevent it? And if we couldn’t the guilt remains. Did we love them enough? Did we give them enough of our time? We remember arguments or rows, or tears, or misunderstandings. And every one of them comes back to us like a knife in the heart. You are not alone in your suffering. Every man or woman old enough to know someone who has died feels the same.

Skilgannon, to Harad, The Swords of Night and Day