How To Have Compassion For Shitty People Who Deserve What They Get
I’m not sure ‘cancel culture’ exists, but ‘protect the creeps culture’ always has
I have sat in AA meetings with people who have done bad things. I have listened to ex-cons confess to crimes they committed while wasted decades ago, and I’ve watched those same men choke back tears of gratitude for their sobriety.
I have sipped weak coffee while making small talk with men who have hurt the ones they love while drunk, which doesn’t make them special because all drunks hurt the ones they love in one way or another.
I have talked to a friend late at night on the phone about forgiveness; the point isn’t whether or not the other person forgives you the point is that you ask and acknowledge you were wrong, and you let them know you know that. And that’s that, your job is to continue fighting to stay sober and grounded and breathing. I use to have some wild nights when I was drinking, but nothing is wilder than being sober enough to accept responsibility for your actions. It’s a real thrill ride, looking at yourself in the mirror and not closing your eyes.
After one meeting years ago, a friend complained that a famous person who had been “canceled” had been quietly sitting alone in a pew in the back row of the…
