I know you feel guilt. You feel torn up and hurt, and while we don't know what occured behind closed doors, the open door cracks showed us enough of the abuse and torment you were put through.
You offer apologies, we refute them. You gave us a home in Hell, a place few could tread. You opened the doors, and lifted Hell into Heaven. You made people safe, you offered Sanctuary. When it poured, you offered your Umbrella to tend to the people in need. When you saw hurt and fear, you approached offering solutions and compassion.
You did nothing wrong. You did not deserve to be cast to the knife as you were, as others phrased it. You, even falling, tried to care for us, first. And you're still trying to bleed out for us.
There are so many people grateful to you. My girlfriend, the love of my life, recieved her first pony because of You. You made people feel safe-- even when I didn't do well, you offered me a kind hand when I was terrified of offending you. You reach out to the broken, the hurt, and the frightened. You are beautiful and you did not deserve to be hurt. I've seen you called a Martyr-- and that is one of the best descriptions. You tried to fall, culled while trying to protect the shop. And you apologize still?
The shop was not lines, or words on paper. The shop was People. Lurkers, regulars, everyone you touched, drew in with compassion and kindness. The Shop is the people, instead of a pretty ink and paper image, or pixels as the case may be. And I think you know that. You did then, you do now.
Please don't feel you betrayed us. By publicly saying you would go, saying what you felt best when you stepped away as the fire stoked, you were graceful and a good example until the end. You protected us and shielded us from what you thought would be initial volleys, before the fire rained. The fire that rained was for you. That fire is the passionate pain people felt for you. Love is fire. If it came to it again, people would step to the plate for you again-- louder, with crashing cymbals and trumpets.
You are loved Mind. You are loved and you did nothing wrong. I stand by you. You are someone deserving every friend you have-- I only speak for myself saying I hope one day I count among them.
We love you as a Community you made through blood, sweat, and tears with your two hands.
-- NovaCracker
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:03 pm
There has been one bright side to this entire thing, its the community: YOU guys, Every last one of you, have been the main reason I haven't really cried that much during this, only tearing up on three occasions, this being one of them, and only once out of actual sadness rather than bittersweet happiness.
I am grateful that I have been able to start something that makes you guys feel welcome and found shelter in this, pardon my klingon as I've had a glass of mead, shitstorm of chaos and uncertainty. While I never wanted sides picked, and hoped that the shop could be saved even if I had been forcibly removed from being able to enjoy it even casually today. I have heard horror story after horror story, seen person hurt again and again, and get lashed out for even the smallest disagreement this week.
I know I have no reason to apologize, but too often in the world people are done wrong and get nothing for it; the world is shitty enough as it is and sometimes just hearing the words "I'm sorry" and having it honestly and fully meant, even if the person who says it has no reason to be so, and heal wounds and lift hearts. Can make the battered and broken see the sun and realize there is hope for the world.
I'm not an optimist, despite all appearances -- I hope for the best but plan for and often times expect the worst. I've been kicked too many times growing up for being too tall, too fat, hair too short, for being openly geeky, too different. But there's one thing I've never done, for all the flack I have gotten -- Stayed down or let them change me. Bullies have picked on me one year, worked at making my life hell, only to have life throw a wrench in their life and send them crashing to lowest on the totem pole, and I immediately stepped in and protected them from those who turned on them.
Because I believe that even if life is hell, you don't stop fighting what it throws at you and let it turn you bitter and cruel. Compassion breeds compassion, hatred breeds hatred.
And damn it, I WANT to see people happy. I want to see good done and people to pull themselves up and dust themselves off. And hope in humanity is a priceless commodity, as it helps people do just that.
So I just want everyone to remember this: There are good people out there. None of them are perfect, but they are there. And all of you, I feel, should know I feel that you are one of them. This group has shown that it can stand strong, work together, and survive, and have shown, in the end, that the COMMUNITY and people are what makes the world, not just breedable shops, great, not the art or material items.
Hopefully people will look at us and follow, and we can lead by example to try and make even just a little part of the world better.
Reply
