How can we correct our practices, and hence our situation, if we don't recognise and understand them (and it)?

Feeling guilty is one choice people have available to them, but I don't think it's necessary. There are other choices that can be made. Guilt is a waste of one's energies, in my opinion. A more constructive use one's energies is to help people to understand what the problems are, and to help correct them. Everyone can help if they want to. But dismissing the problems by making cynical references to guilt and hair shirts accomplishes nothing.