Burning Away Righteousness

It's easier to sow doubt than do the hard work of finding the truth. After 9/11, (which traumatized a close family member of mine living in lower Manhattan), our country found itself at war with real and imagined enemies. I found myself at war with friends of mine who found it easier to believe a fantastic made up story about what happened than the actual facts. The sad truth is, I burned some bridges in those friendships in the process and traded being right for being a friend.

I would like the fire to burn away the part of me that goes to war too easily over the truth, that would choose being right over having empathy and being separate over being connected. That fire would leave a love that can embrace all stories, all people and all things.

— Russell Sutter