I Feel Bad

I think I killed a discussion tonight and I feel bad. I think I really killed a discussion tonight and I feel awful; just made it dead; stopped it right in place on the track; brought everybody down. Maybe this IS why I don't get invited anywhere.

Tonight we discussed 'evil'. Real evil. In the face of Cleveland, Boston before it, and Sandy Hook before that; there are, believe it or not, other sickening stories in the news that display the very meaning of inhumanity. The problem is this is a normal day.

I shared an experience I had, and for those of you who know me, you know the story. But beyond that life altering tale, that moment of introspection that drilled through me like a pneumatic diamond tipped bore I left out other frights like the phantom in the basement; the shadow man and his yearly visits; the knife held to my throat; the death threats; God what a mess.

In a way I am lucky to have been in these situations. In a way, I am fortunate to have met, face to face, the evil and the odd, the strange and the dangerous. In some ways it brings a sensibility to what I write and hopefully it has made me not numb but strong.

Whatever we see and read about; whatever we encounter; we all need to take care, watch each others back and recognize and call out evil. We need to shed light on it and make sure it doesn't multiply or persist.