“Sins are a disease, its remedy is seeking forgiveness, and its cure is not repeating.”
(Ali ibn Abi Talib)
Stage 1: Experience. We experience an event.
Stage 2: Realization/regret. We realize and regret the consequences of that experience.
Stage 3: Repentance. We put into motion the required elements that best guarantee we will not repeat the negative experience.
There is no shame in erring and even sinning (as the religious call it). Unfortunately, we mostly become misguided and try to find a manner in which we can justify the misdirection instead of repenting and distancing ourselves from that realm of our misguidance. Shame comes only from not learning from the mistakes in your life, whether or not they are committed intentionally. Truly, repenting is nothing more than pleading with ourselves to try our hardest to never repeat this action again as we understand it hurts our chances of spiritual development. Through adjusting for errors, our trials become the benchmark of realizing if we are indeed progressing on the path to pure love favorably.
