metonymy4u

“…all spring the woman with the habits rattles around my head, extant,
worrying a cotton ball, trying to get the last bit of red paint off her left
thumbnail like goddamn Lady Macbeth.”

-Jennifer Michael Hecht


The result of radical genuineness is often emotional distress. When we put ourselves out there in the world, expose our warts and imperfections, stop our people pleasing behaviors, often people will not be pleased. They will be upset. They will be angry and disappointed. And their emotions are real. As real as the computer I write this on. As the real as the hurt I caused them. As real as the regret I feel for having done so. And yet at the same time I understand that I am not the sole cause of these events. I fear a world that teaches others to only see me as the sexist white guy, that teaches me to see others as the way they seem, rather than how they are. The unfortunate fact is that we live in a horrible world that does horrible things to people. I wish I knew why.