Yes. It remains interesting to me how easily his humanity is ignored, or only celebrated for his transcendence of.

And often we accept or stop seeing the shadow side, or darker side, of our heroes or those to whom we look for guidance.

And it’s not just him, of course. We do this today, celebrating and lauding those who contribute in a significant way — even while they hurt others in the path of making their contribution.

And often it is women and children or those of less power who suffer or are wounded and hurt. Yet this matters not to those who celebrate and revere — “Oh, but he did all this good! Oh, but he’s human! Oh, but it’s just a woman or women and a child or children, or people who matter less, and so it really doesn’t matter.”

I like the idea of seeing the whole of it, and of recognizing the hurt inflicted, and allowing compassion and kindness for those hurt along the way.

And, perhaps, it’s a reminder that you, too, dear human, will hurt others. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just make sure you leave something useful behind.