The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I was informed just last night that a dear old friend of mine was abused by her then-boyfriend. This wasn't the first such occasion for this. Unfortunately, she accepted his apology after the first time he resorted to violence against her. I sincerely hope with all my being that she doesn't open the door for him again. Unfortunately, I myself, have been a victim of abuse, when I was an 8-year old boy, an older man took advantage of me. I've known other people whom have been victims of one kind of abuse or another, whether it be physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, mental or psychological. No matter what I think of the person or how disgraceful I believe his or her actions are, I try to place myself inside their shoes (not literally, of course) and attempt to garner a better understanding of why they think and act as they do. The same holds true for abusers. Having been a victim of it myself, which has had its effects, even 22 years after the fact, this is difficult for ...