On feeling guilty all the time (or why I’ll never be a politician if this is politics). Inspired by @Sime0nStylites (thread) https://twitter.com/Sime0nStylites/status/1265002446776152065

On the very first day of my pupillage - or “Referendariat” in Germany - we were shown round the Court of Appeals of Hamburg. It was all fun. You met a lot of nice people and you ended up having your first class...

... the teacher came in (a judge) and said “you have done it. This has never happened before in the history of Hamburg. It is the first day and I had a complaint about you all by the presiding judge of the court of appeals”

Turns out that one of us bumped into her with force on a corridor. She fell. The person didn’t apologise.

I immediately felt guilty. Of course, I didn’t remember a thing about it. But I was nervous. It was the first day. Could it have been me? Heck yes. Did I remember? Not a thing. But I was guilty and considered apologising.

I spoke with a friend of mine (now also a professor, of course). He felt the same guilt. We had two miserable days. Until we had the same teacher again.

He came in, smiled and said “I am happy that my little speech worked. The person who did that apologised, all is well”.
But yes. The guilt is there. Always. For things I have not even done.

The idea that you can violate a policy that is important and not feel guilty about it seems bizarre to me. The idea that it is good politics not to apologise doubly so.