ashleigh_bryant_phillips raze "our world does not want to be faced with the truth because it's uncomfortable and highly complicated. and no one wants to sit with uncomfortable thoughts and think and figure out highly complicated things. it takes time and emotional energy. so because it hurts to see our elderly loved ones losing abilities, we put them in nursing homes and never hardly see them. and because it's so draining to talk to the opposing political party, we stay in our 'safe spaces' and just hear the same things over and over. and because we're scared of being alone we put up mental walls that allow us to only see how wonderful our shitty, abusive partners are. we lie to protect ourselves or others from the truth. everyone does it and it's an act of survival or as you mentioned charity or love. but i believe that fiction is one of those sacred places in our modern world where we can see the truth with all its uncomfortable complications and that's the point of it. excellent fiction is not another escape or distraction from the truth but it shines light on it and it allows the reader to wrangle it. this is fiction's invaluable importance." (from a june 29, 2020 interview with "full stop") 210211 ... raze "i've always been in the past and in the present in my head, as every human with a conscience is." 230405 what's it to you? who go blather from