>>12277879>To hold knowledge is to be a vessel for destruction but also a vessel for rebirth.I do get your point about destruction, for this is the very reason we are in the mess we've been in.
However, that aside, and not relevant my purpose, to hold knowledge discreetly is a gift.
From the time I was young my dad took me (the eldest) out on Saturday mornings to the local watering hole. By the time I was old enough to sit next to him at the bar, I'd get to here his sea stories. I cannot recall the number of times--his realizing I was within earshot-- paused to look at me and say: "Don't tell your mother!" It was that distinct trust that he had in me that made all the difference in my young life.
We had a special bond, and though a half-century has passed, and though he's been gone over 6 years...my mom, nor others in my family, have ever heard those tales and they never will.
>a vessel for rebirthThis is what brought up those memories, because my mom was an, um, 'piece of work'...and if not for my dad's perfect humanity, I might have succeeded in opting out; he taught me how to laugh no matter what.