"Understanding why we made a bad decision doesn't excuse the decision itself" — that distinction is the hinge of the whole piece, and it's rarer than it should be. Most accounts of prison pick one: the explanation that quietly becomes an excuse, or the confession that refuses to ask why. We publish women writing from inside a federal prison (Jailbirds in Flight), and the pages that hold up are the ones that do both at once: here is how I got here, and no, that doesn't make it fine. The three-religions story is funny, but it's also honest in a way the Holmes documentary never manages. You caught yourself in the act, which is the only place self-deception can actually be seen.
"Understanding why we made a bad decision doesn't excuse the decision itself" — that distinction is the hinge of the whole piece, and it's rarer than it should be. Most accounts of prison pick one: the explanation that quietly becomes an excuse, or the confession that refuses to ask why. We publish women writing from inside a federal prison (Jailbirds in Flight), and the pages that hold up are the ones that do both at once: here is how I got here, and no, that doesn't make it fine. The three-religions story is funny, but it's also honest in a way the Holmes documentary never manages. You caught yourself in the act, which is the only place self-deception can actually be seen.
Deep insight, thank you for sharing.