Bloggers’ al chet

As we stand before the gates, watch the books close, and the seals prepare.

Help us be both humble and responsible.

Within the infinities of time and space and unknown dimensions, our
contributions are fractions of fractions, forgotten the next day, utterly
insignificant in a matter of months and years.

Yet at that moment and in that space help us fulfill our obligations to do
what we can, to use the voice we have, and express our hearts and minds with candor and fairness.

And let us confess our commissions and omissions, resolving to do better this year, and even better the next, and to find the resolve to improve should we slip, as we surely will, for such is our nature.

For all the times we have written out of vanity, because we wanted
attention
and
for all the times we have neglected to write, out of convenience

For all the times we have written hastily, without consideration,
and
for all the times we have tarried to write, because it was too difficult

We ask our readers, the judges on earth; and the Judge in the infinities,
to forgive us and to grant us atonement.

For all the times we have blurred a distinction to make a simplistic point
and
for all the times we have overstated a point and been unjust

For all the times we have tried to defeat an argument by passion instead of reason
and
for all the times we have ignored the truth in our hearts

We ask our readers, the judges on earth; and the Judge in the infinities, to forgive us and to grant us atonement.

For all the times we have have hardened our hearts to those who were easy for us to dislike
and
for all the times we have made excuses for the actions of those who are like us

For all the times we have promoted the narrative rather than the truth
and
for all the times we have neglected the context

We ask our readers, the judges on earth; and the Judge in the infinities, to forgive us and to grant us atonement.

For all the times we have neglected to write because we felt defeated
and
for all the times we let arrogance and hubris dominate our writing.

For all the times we have, from behind our desks, denounced others for their honest labor
and
for all the times we have failed to carefully draw essential moral distinctions

We ask our readers, the judges on earth; and the Judge in the infinities, to forgive us and to grant us atonement.

Because it is in the writing that our hearts and mind learn from each other, and it is in the texts we publish that we lift the few sparks we can. It is in the sweat and tears that go before and come after our work that we nourish our souls and our better nature.