'Our sinless society, which promised liberation from the psychological harm that externally imposed guilt brings, has begun to feel a bit suffocating. No one is really responsible for anything, but neither can anyone really be forgiven. Two seemingly incompatible moral universe have meshed in a toxic brew. On the one hand, the ways we hurt each other are simply social conditioning. We might be able to unpack the triggers through therapy, but it's a tragic project of entanglement in trauma. On the other, there are certain beliefs and identities that function like unforgiveable sins - and these will be unique to your tribe. Some days the whole worlds seems high on self-righteous rage, locating evil conveniently outside ourselves and our group. I regularly feel tempted to performatively avoid causing offence, signal my moral purity or publicly align myself with whoever is the right tribe that day. It doesn't leave much energy for actually becoming more loving or more just.'
Elizabeth Oldfield, Fully Alive: Tending to the soul in turbulent times, p.29.
