As evolution progressed, the capacity of learning, called 'intelligence', arose as a consequence of trial and error, which is a process that is operationally required for survival. The process of trial and error then accumulates as data and memory. This accrues as the long and experiential time continuum that sorts events into 'then' and 'now'. The present self 'is', and the former self 'was', and, in truth, that which 'was' is not identical with that which 'is'. Regret and guilt result from equating the present self that 'is' with the former self that 'was' but actually is no more; they are not the same. Guilt can be an educative emotion that arises as a warning not to repeat the same mistake.