Willow: Bitterness and the Story of Unfairness

Willow is resentment as a dwelling.

The weather

Traditional interpretations say bitterness, 'poor me', the sense of having been treated unfairly. Unfairness is often real. Willow weather is what happens when the real wound becomes the only citizenship. Holly heats; Willow broods.

Beside the profile

Willow already lives in this house as a profile: “It is unfair.” Bitterness, the sense of being dealt a worse hand, resentment that settles in. Naming bitterness is not the same as being told to be grateful. Bach filed it under Despondency or despair — for those in despondency or despair. The profile is the door. This essay is a longer walk around the same weather. Neither is a diagnosis, a product, or a treatment plan.

Bitterness is a faithful historian and a terrible architect.

A takeaway

Write the unfairness once, specifically. Then ask what you still want that does not require the other person to repent on your schedule. You may still want the repentance. You may also need a life.

Readers exploring this theme may also find neighbouring rooms interesting. Similar weather across traditions is not proof that one system explains another.