a man may be a fool for having his own standards, but one thing is clear, there are none so blind as those who lack integrity. No one understands it who does not have it, and no one who has it would ever surrender it
a rigid set of rules for one's own integrity does require substantial thought and cumbersome re-evaluation but should hell freeze over 100 million times i will never surrender the safety of this rigidity to base my decisions on intent.
But what others do is not my concern. My actions come from my standards and morals. My mother told me that holding to one's values is often the only thing one has in life, and even if she returned from the dead to tell me otherwise i would not change my mind.
i don't expect others to live as I do. and it may not always be necessary to castigate oneself for one's mistakes, but forgiving oneself for making a mistake is one thing, and deciding it's ok to make mistakes is fine for others. But ii refuse to accept this for myself.
@stclairashley@LockedGuyNYC we won marriage equality by learning to reach out and help willing people understand, not by burning bridges. the marriage battle was lost everywhere. it was won right here in new york. because new york took the time and got it right. roe v wade was not done right so redo it
@GuyN2Leather @LockedGuyNYC if you like it, then have it. there is nothing wrong with having a cause. even if the cause is not real. The act of having a cause itself does matter, and matters greatly.
Not receiving credit for the good I may have done was once a source of resentment… I had it all backward. Knowing that I have contributed in some way is of far greater value than others’ acclaim.