On a recent livestream, “America’s Labor Crisis,” co-host Mike Rowe commented, “The evidence demands a verdict.” He was discussing the workforce, but his words, sharp and hard as flint, hit me on a different level. What verdict does the evidence of our own lives yield?
The day winds down, and some of us land in a courtroom of the mind. Did I put in a full day’s work? How did I miss that deadline? Did I come across as rude to that customer on the phone? How could I possibly forget to call Mom on her birthday?
Sometimes, when our conscience charges us with graver crimes, the court never takes a recess. Was it my fault our marriage ended? Why didn’t I repair the rift and visit Dad before he died? Why do I spend night after night all alone watching good-for-nothing TV shows and nursing a drink?…