Guilt [is] a tool, rather than a weapon against the self.
I did not know that my entire personality, my entire being, could be discarded as the byproduct of my anatomy. What if I really am just someone with a large prefrontal cortex...and nothing more?
Learning how to think in the midst of fear is a lesson that everyone needs to learn.
You're not a coward just because you don't want to hurt people.
Someone shouts, "Enough!" and I think too much and nothing at all.
I watch her blond head until it disappears around the bend, and I feel bare, like there's nothing left to protect me against pain. Her absence stings worst of all.