Forgiveness

No one “blows it,” not even the crucifiers. Everyone acts according to the fullest extent of their consciousness. Crime and punishment? Punishment is itself a crime.

Scapegoat

When something terrible happens, ego demands that someone be punished. In simpler times, they used a proxy. Two kids were pulled from the goatherd. One had its throat slit, the other was driven into the desert, taking with it all the sins of the community.

Ah, those were the days!

Fires on the road

Slowly and inexorably, in response to manifold transgressions, Nature has begun to assert herself. The books are being balanced, and it is entirely possible that humans will not survive the accounting.

The fugitive kind

We should be rewarded for making mistakes, not punished. Shamed boys grow into fugitive men—furtive and anxious, hidden and watchful, unable to trust themselves.

Against the grain

As the historical record confirms, enlightenment is not a reward for good behaviour.

“Spiritually speaking,” Carlos Santana said, “we don’t fuck around.”