(He also talked about eternal vigilance.)

This today, some things I’m thinking, in response to an old post / newsletter essay by the poet Andrea Gibson (whose work — don’t get me wrong — I love and treasure…), about forgiveness as a necessary step in creating a truly peaceful world:

South African anti-apartheid and social rights activist Desmund Tutu said, “Without forgiveness, there’s no future.”

And so I can’t help but think, and want to say, that yeah, sure, Desmund Tutu talked about forgiveness, especially in the context of achieving peace and moving forward — moving on.  But he also talked about truth and reconciliation, reformative justice, and accountability.

Because listen, here’s the thing.  When there are two sides to a picture, it takes two sides to change the picture.  Otherwise, you’re just covering over half the picture.

(Of course, I can’t help but think, likewise and alongside, about how much white folks love to quote Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, when it comes to this stuff.  I’m thinking about that in general, because by now, in 2022, how can I not?)