Much to think about today, given yesterday’s revelation. Or rather just facing life facts learned but not assimilated, because with the lantern of Diogenes, I had found an honest man. I saw the incredulity and almost pity in his eyes, and his reluctance to fuel that fire with truth, and yet he saw that it was needed and he risked that he could trust me. No charge, this gentle advice, but given with a sympathetic hug. The reaction this time though is not my usual triumph, but reflection and the need to wholeheartedly with conviction seek a path of acceptance and tolerance that is more than spoken words. A credo that is uncompromising to my beliefs, and yet not a burden upon others. Withdraw my passion and delight of being the thorn in their side.
Words come back to me from the past; the opening line of my high school graduation speech–a political stand that I now cannot remember except that it upset my aunt in its viewpoint:
"If you hurt people (pause) by telling them the truth (pause, look meaningfully at the audience) you will not be liked."
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology