Beyond the Good Roads

“I found it ironic and deeply troubling that there – at the heart of conflict and risk – the greatest and most destructive threats seemed to be the ones we posed to ourselves and the ones we brought unto each other; for lack of self-love and care, and for lack of empathy and compassion due to exhaustion. We were all our own worst enemies and each other’s unpredictable lifelines. And there were no thanks, no medals of valor, no applause of appreciation if – or rather when – we crashed and burned. At least, that’s how it felt to me at the time. I wondered what price I would eventually have to pay to be there, and if it would be worth it."