hey, blog! i don’t know what this is, really. it’s essentially an excerpt from a morning pages exercise based on a conversation i recently had which made me question my views on guilt. this is it. yikes.
what do you do when someone you think of as family betrays you? maybe it isn’t really a betrayal. she doesn’t mean anything by it, and you know that. you have no right to be hurt by her friendship with an innocent person. but what do you do when that innocent person is an extension of the most disgusting creature on this earth? what do you do when the person who claims to love you also loves that which kills you? guilt by association is a nasty stigma, and the mind clings to it like a vice. but is that so wrong? there has to be a certain level of culpability for associating yourself with evil. evil by proxy? not necessarily. guilty of ignorance? absolutely. how should one confront the friend of the friend of their enemy? worse, how does one confront the family of the friend of the enemy? the family of the family of the enemy? and if that family (by the absolute simplest of definitions) is also your family? it’s a filthy cycle full of confused people who must choose a side. and if they don’t, the natural assumption is that they just don’t care. lots of times, they don’t. if it doesn’t affect them and if the friendship benefits them, why care what feelings other people have? me, me, me. my, my, my. who cares if it hurts people who love me? who cares if they love me at all? it’s exhausting. explaining to adults why bad people are bad. why people who excuse bad behavior are bad. why they are one of those people. especially when it’s someone you love like your own family. it’s hard to see a monster through the eyes of a child, and even harder to recognize that monster as a friend.
here are some links to learn about and help with the crisis in ukraine:
https://www.peopleinneed.net/donate/once?amount=1000&accountId=7
https://redcross.org.ua/en/donate/
https://www.inquirer.com/philly-tips/ukraine-charities-donate.html
This was a fascinating dilemma to watch you explore, and you worded it beautifully! Also, nice touch adding resources for Ukraine.
Emma, this blog was truly amazing. I admire your tone and the way that you are so well spoken throughout your blogs. You pull out great thinking points and make the best of them. Great job this week! <3