When we do not take grief seriously—our own and another’s—but merely cover its wounds with a garish fairy tale of winking soldiers cheering from the clouds, we create the conditions for ongoing violence that plays fast and loose with this great, wondrous, and terrible, gift of life we each possess.
From “Politics and the lies we tell about grief” by Brianne Donaldson
Brianne was one of the first friends we made when we moved to Three Rivers, Michigan. Since that moment, I’ve been constantly impressed by her her poetic wisdom and vulnerability. In this recent essay in Patheos, she explores how certain theories of the afterlife can serve to perpetuate violence—a timely reflection for Lent and the current U.S. political scene.
