Lessons from the Front Lines

- One can tell the truth, or one can have friends.  Never both.

- The more "honest" someone claims they are, the more they are hiding from themselves.

- A good deed has a half-life measured in minutes; a mis-spoken phrase festers and lingers.

- When someone else is pissed off, especially if one can't repair or atone for it, the only thing to do is to vanish.
...

When you realize that no one would miss you,
and the knife has the most genuine and gentle smile,
when your obituary is more readily greeted
than a 2:00 AM phone call.
Then, you are free to speak your mind.