How the Illusion of Denial Will Never Save You From Accountability
We can’t succumb to the temptation to put aside our basic humanity
It’s been twenty years since my cousin told a story that I’ve come to regard as a confession. I still don’t know for certain if he spoke honestly or was exaggerating for the benefit of his audience. I haven’t talked to him in all that time.
This happened during the last family gathering I attended. The idea of a shared Thanksgiving dinner has become so contentious that I wonder if it will tumble out of existence in our society. But twenty years ago, we all showed up braced to endure the abuses of our families.
I have one branch of relatives that all became long-haul truckers. It felt like they came to dinner as a mob. They all wore chains connecting their wallets to their belts.
Often, I felt I had to apologize for earning a bachelor’s degree. They derided me for wasting so much money on something that they considered without value. “Why would you take on student loans just to get indoctrinated?”
The truth is that they made good money as truckers. They made more than I did. But I also saw how sitting in that cab all day broke you down physically and mentally. These were men who earned their living driving when they were…
