Beneath Her Ordinary Low

by Edgar Bagayan

Vicky did very many wicked things, definitely things no child would do. But after indulging in so much depravity and coming home in filth to loving parents, Vicky felt the urge to weep like a child, with the guilt and sorrow known only after years of great suffering.

She was only a child: helpless against making mistakes, and feeling too helpless to change her childish ways. When worn down by her own weaknesses and finally learning by suffering through the consequences, she reverted to the comforts of childishness; she renounced the conditioning and gave in to impulses. At her present stage, far below a post-conventional level, Vicky could not
resist pleasure's sweetness. Seeking pleasure--and avoiding unpleasantness--at root drives all human action. Whenever one flouts what one knows is to his higher advantage, merely for a cheap thrill or the fleeting sensation of well-being--that is when one knows he has yet to grow.