At times, the need arises to hold two concepts in opposition as true. This is discombobulating.

My mind craves order and simplicity. I blame that on evolutionary biology. Our most basic level of brain development is reptilian—edible/not edible; fight/flight, sleep/wake, the red team/the blue team. It doesn’t get simpler than that. So, the brain fights the notion of something as difficult to resolve as contradictory truths.

For example, I am studying traditionalists who believe their way is the true and only way. My values include the belief that diversity of thought and culture enriches the world, so I am (theoretically) tolerant of those who disagree with my ideas about that (and other things).

But what happens when traditionalists become the majority? What happens when they have and use the power to enforce their own beliefs on others? History informs us that this has happened before, and not that long ago, people who didn’t conform were tortured and killed as “heretics,” “witches,”  or “vermin.”

May I also reference Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale?

One of the jobs of writers is to document what has happened and to explore what might happen. Writing can entertain, but it can also make us consider unintended consequences, difficult decisions, and truths that contradict.

Recently, a man expressed surprise at the fact that I had written Last Chance for Justice, which chronicles the criminal investigation and trials of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing case. He thought it was useless to write books about history.

I’d never encountered that particular perspective and was momentarily (and uncharacteristically) at a loss for words.

But as we talked, he shared that his grandmother had fled a German concentration camp during the Holocaust, finding safety in marrying a man in a country that was part of the Soviet Union at the time. She told her grandson not to look back, that what had happened in the past was not important, only the future mattered.

I could understand her desire for him to make his own life without the horrors of the past haunting him. However, not knowing and understanding history handicaps us in recognizing patterns, making life choices, and impacting our world. He was unable to reconcile those two truths.

Can I love my country and hate some of the decisions it has made? Can I disagree with people without compromising my value of welcoming diverse thoughts? Is war ever the answer?

In both writing and life, paths and issues are sometimes clear and straightforward; at other times, they are complex and nuanced. Sometimes, we get just to be present, to create, to love, and to embrace our gift of life. But other times, we have the responsibility to struggle with difficult questions, and that can involve holding disparate truths together and making the best difficult decisions we can.

 I write about what moves me, following a flight path of curiosity, reflection, and imagination. 

Feel free to explore my website and books while you are here, but if you arrived by way of my blog on Substack, here’s the way back.

If you arrived by way of the “The Stiletto Gang,” a fun daily blog by mystery authors, here is your ticket to return or explore.

P.S. PERSONAL UPDATE

I’m just back from a long trip to Japan. Many wonderful experiences. Enjoyed very much the people we were with and the new people we met. Much to admire about the culture, but my favorite part was the incredible gardens. Part of me was gobsmacked and just wanted more; the other part was thinking about my little garden and pond and wanting to get back to it!

Sharing a few of the many photos: