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When I look back at my past, I wonder if I really am a bad person

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life I'm not proud of. I had anger issues since I was a kid. I started off hitting people whenever they pissed me off & that led to getting in fights at school often. When I got older I realized that might've largely been due to my early childhood. I used to watch my parents fight to the point they were screaming at each other, pushing, choking, or hitting each other. I remember being scared at times but I eventually grew accustomed to it. In one memory when I was 4 years old, my parents were choking each other out against the wall & they started yelling at me to look away. I didn't even react, I just looked back at the TV & kept watching my cartoons while they fought next to me. Later that night the cops asked me if I saw what happened & I said yeah. So they asked what I saw & I simply explained it like it was a regular thing (because it was), then asked if he wanted to see my favorite toy. It was a Woody doll from Toy Story. He was my favorite at that age. The next day I woke up & our dad was gone. Mom took me to preschool & told us he was in jail but he'd be home soon. That wasn't the first time either.. There was a few different times that happened. All I knew was that Mom would take me to school whenever Dad was gone.

After our mom left it seems like our dad took his anger out on us instead. His new girlfriend seemed like she hated us. She would tell lies & exaggerate about us so we would constantly be punished.. mostly me & my sister. I even learned to stop crying from physical pain simply because I didn't want to show I was hurt. I could tell that made me get it worse but I still refused to cry. I haven't cried from any physical pain since that age actually. I'm not able to.

I'm not trying to make excuses for my bad decisions growing up, I'm just saying I can understand where my anger might've stemmed from. I went from always getting beat by my dad as a kid, to him later on being afraid to confront me because HE didn't want to fight with ME. I was normally a calm & funny guy it's not like I walked around mad or anything. It's just when someone provoked me, I became a different person. I just snapped. My childhood taught me to fight even though I was afraid & I did that for most of my life.

I don't feel like I'm a bad person now. I'm not angry like I used to be but it's like I'm always discovering something new that I've been wrong about & never realized it before. When I look back on some decisions in the past with newer insight... I can see how selfish I've been. How angry. Vengeful. Stupid. Reckless. Even just downright cringey like did I think it was cool to be an idiot or something? Even though I typically choose to be honest, I definitely don't feel proud of my dumber decisions. I laugh things off most the time because it's my way of coping but I promise I don't just take things lightly.

It's weird because I feel blessed but I wonder why I even deserve it. I feel like I'm still working so hard to simply deserve the good things in my life. I don't know if that makes sense. I used to never feel like I deserved anything so maybe it's just an extension of that feeling. Idk.
All I know is that when someone tells me I'm a good person.. I wonder if they'd still think that if they saw my whole life. Because I haven't always been a good person. Sometimes I still catch myself thinking selfishly but I do my best to re-evaluate when I realize it. It's like I'm always teaching myself to un-learn little pieces of bad behavior or attitudes that I never realized I had.
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kodiac · 22-25, M
I think when we are exposed to and subjected to abuse of any kind as kids we not only build walls to protect us from the abuse we also build walls to protect us from our own emotions . I stopped feeling anything ,anger, pain love, fear ,like a machine or an observer . You spoke about not being able to cry , that hit home for me . One of my worst fosters would love it if i cried. Made it his mission , i could just be sitting quietly and he would walk past and slap me hard enough to bring blood and of course i cried ,i was only 8 at the time . I could be sound asleep and he would slap or kick me then laugh when i cried . I would try everytime not to cry , then it finally happened he hit me and i just went numb so he hit me again but i didn't cry i was so proud ,but he went off on me i still didn't cry and have not cried since . The thing is when all of that stopped the walls i built stayed . Later as i grew more if someone even got close to me or starteled me i would go into attack mode . The shrinks call it excessive startle reaction . some of the bad descions we made were not because we were bad ,it was because we were changed by the abuse . It took time for us to change and will take time to unlearn the things we learned . I think you're doing an awesome job .
Coralmist · 41-45, F
@kodiac I hope one day you can access some time to just cry a bit, to release trauma, angst, fear and shame that was put upon you. When you mentioned feeling you're a machine,I felt it inside me too. I can cry, but due to excessive ridicule and mocking and threats, daily, my entire Sense of self was destroyed. I don't know who I am at all, and when I see pics from my childhood, I see myself as a shell...not a person.
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@kodiac I always appreciate hearing your input man so thank you. You're always self aware & you speak on your thoughts & feelings so open & clearly. Which isn't easy to do when you've lived a pretty difficult life.
I'm sorry you were treated like that. I can also relate to feeling proud of yourself after you didn't cry. I remember that feeling too. My eyes were watery & I was in pain but I was so proud of myself for not letting any tears come out. Now as an adult, I can cry but only from emotion. It's like I don't even understand how physical pain causes tears from a person. My brain is like "if you snap a bone why would that make your eyes water? It has nothing to do with your eyes 🤔"
I also hope you can learn to cry again though. I mean I still hate crying & I fight it really hard but it helps in letting things go.

I think you're doing a great job too man. Even simply by being honest & understanding yourself. You're always welcome to reach out to me if you ever wanted to just talk about anything.
kodiac · 22-25, M
@ChiefJustWalks It's easy to be open with someone i respect as much as i do you . knowing you understand things most people don't . Something i wrote about needing to scream ,but also applies to needing to cry.
The scream

i know how it is to hurt all alone
When nightmares hide deep within dreams
And little boys hold all their secrets inside
But, when do I get to scream?

I know what it's like to be silent and brave
And stand still while fingers ream
And fight the tears back, when the night seems so black
But when do I get to scream?

I know what it's like to make yourself numb
And pretend you have great self-esteem
To live someone's life whom you don't know at all
Who smiles through his urges to scream.

And when I am dead and they open me up
They will find things were not what they'd seemed
For the child and the man and the demons will fly
Out of me, with a deafening scream.
SatanBurger · 36-40, F
You're allowed to make mistakes and allowed to change, environmental noise is real. How are you supposed to be "grounded" when you have too much noise in an environment from your parents fighting and the things you went through. Kind of sounds like you just shut down for awhile and probably what made you survive all that in the first place.

But it also sounds like even though the old you is apart of you, you also changed too because you realize you deserved better and got away from all the noise in which you were able to think.

You're a changed person now, or at least aware of your actions than from before.

I hesitate to say this as I'm not you so this isn't me trying to put words in your mouth but at the time it probably felt like sleep walking I can imagine. You probably remember some stuff but maybe it was more like you were asleep? That's how I was in the past at least when I was going through stuff.

Anyways, we all do stuff sometimes, that's my point.. just that people don't talk about it that's all, makes one feel alone but you're not alone. Society also has unrealistic standards in which they don't allow people to change but people do change.

I just think you were too young to be able to deal with all those emotions and sounded like you just shut down for awhile, it's your brains way of making you survive.

There's no such thing as a perfectly good person. I just think we all just go off of the information we have at the time but you're very self aware and you have that going for you so don't be so hard on yourself either.

🤗
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@SatanBurger I'd say I was never really that good with emotions even when I was aware of them. Even now I'm still learning. I just hate feeling like I'm blaming it on anything. You're right though I don't think there's any such thing as a perfectly good person. & Thank you by the way. I guess sometimes when I start thinking too much, I can feel pretty stupid about a lot of things
Coralmist · 41-45, F
You are not bad whatsoever. Are we perfect, no. Could we sometimes have taken an extra moment to be more rational or calm.. perhaps. But to have gone through what you did, it's not even a conscious choice fully, what you did as an teen.( When you hit someone. ) It was taught and really ingrained in you. But you have a kind heart and love your child so much. You absolutely deserve ALL good things and joy Chief. Do not doubt it🦋🪻
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@Coralmist I guess I feel bad blaming it on my childhood too.. like I know I wasn't taught any better but I still wish I somehow knew better. I never even liked fighting I just felt like I had no choice. It actually took a lot of courage to step up sometimes because I truly didn't want to.

Thank you Coralmist 🙏
AngelUnforgiven · 51-55, F
We are human. And we have all done things that we are not proud of no one is perfect. The good thing is that you realize what you need to work on. And you can change. We learn from our mistakes, we grow, and then we do better. Dont ever feel guilty or undeserving. You deserve the best in life just like everyone else does.
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@AngelUnforgiven I'm glad I could be self reflective, I think it was dealing with my emotions that I always lacked at. I'm still not always good at facing more difficult emotions but I'm aware of them & I try.
Thank you though, never forget that you deserve the best too 🖤
Life is a lesson we're all still learning.
Acknowledging and owning our mistakes is all part of that.
Your past doesn't define you, not if you don't let it.
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@Mindfulness I had a conversation with someone once before about how our past does make us who we are.. but it doesn't define us. & If it does, then you're simply living in the past
SlaveEt · 36-40, F
The fact you are reevaluating, making changes and trying to improve just proves you are indeed a good person, even if you've screwed up or had wrong ideas in the past. Good doesn't mean perfrect😊
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@SlaveEt or at least trying to be a good person 🙂 like people are pointing out, maybe we're not just good people all the time. But trying & improving has gotta be where the difference lies
You made some bad choices and gave into negative cycles in your past but your not inherently bad cuz if you were you wouldnt be raising a child so full of love and light see bad people make bad parents that make kids who are shown bad behaviors they copy so if you really were a bad person like inherently bad then your daughter wouldnt be who she is today and going to be tomorrow

Just spitting facts chief
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@TryingtoLava aw that made my eyes watery 🥹 thank you Lava. My daughter always makes me wonder how a person could be so genuinely happy by nature, because she's always so happy. I love it so much. It's another one of those things that makes me feel like "how did I help make this baby?" because she's just so pure.
@ChiefJustWalks pure water doesnt come from a dirty well right? ;)
Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all bad people if we look back on our past. What counts is how we act NOW.
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@MsSwan true, I guess everyone has skeletons in their closet.. people just don't talk about that stuff so we never know. That's something I think about sometimes with people but I don't judge too harshly because I've made a lot of mistakes myself. Who am I to judge anybody. I just try to understand at least
Sweetpoison · 41-45, F
I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, i know how it feels like
Poppies · 61-69, F
You are still a young guy and I feel that you and your family have good in your futures! 😃
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@Poppies sometimes when I feel old, I just remind myself that I'm not even halfway through my life yet 🙂 (assuming I live a while) so that's true... I could always make the best out of the rest of it
TigerLili · 46-50, F
It’s a viscous cycle of people not knowing how to regulate their emotions or control their tempers. You’re going to be the one to stop that cuz you’re a responsible parent who is going to make a different & better life for his child 🌺
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@TigerLili thank you. I do think my childhood definitely taught me how I want my own kids to be raised.. I don't want my daughter to ever have a life like mine or feel the ways that I felt
Thrust · 56-60, M
Wow! What a story 😵‍💫😨
Punches · 46-50, F
Most of us grow up eventually, That is all that happened.

When we are young, we are prone to some bad decisions but when we get older, we start thinking about the consequences. Wisdom basically.
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Punches · 46-50, F
@ChiefJustWalks Oh I understand quite well.

We all have situations from our past that we wish we had handled different.
What we forget is that at the time, we were probably feeling a certain way.
It is hard to think logically when we are emotional.

The important thing is that we grow and learn. Usually by our late 20's is when we really start to grow. It is no fluke that you are feeling this way, just a stage of life.

Although, some people never do grow up. I have a 42 year old nephew who still thinks he is a gangster. I sh*t you not. 😄 And a 50 year old friend who will probably NEVER learn, mostly cause she is on drugs 24/7.
being · 36-40, F
No way man. You're not a bad person. You've come so fucking far !!!! No way...
You did things and made mistakes... because that's all you could do with the knowledge and resources you were given.. you're trying for a better life and you're making it, you've made it.

Own your wrongs but hey you're braking the patterns and changing the storyline 🌟
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@being thank you 🖤 I try not to repeat the same mistakes at least. & I try to be honest about them because I'm not trying to fake anything.
It does feel good having a calm & regular life. It feels peaceful & it makes me glad my daughter gets to grow up with that instead of the type of stuff I grew up around
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ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@SpiritSkye I guess we always have room for improvement so that never has to stop. My daughter is the biggest thing that made me start re-evaluating everything in my life though because I don't wanna pass my bad habits onto her. I can thank her the most for helping change my life
ElviraRunner · 31-35, F
You can decide to let go of your past anytime you want and simply keep the lessons.
ChiefJustWalks · 26-30
@ElviraRunner that makes it sound so easy lol. Not wrong though
ElviraRunner · 31-35, F
@ChiefJustWalks it’s simple but not easy😉
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