It’s just a symbol.
It’s just a feeling.
It’s just a clump of cells.
It’s just a social contract.
The next time you reach for this diminutive qualifier, ask yourself: What obligation are you “just” trying to avoid? When does “just” ever serve justice? The use of the word betrays its intent; it implies the very thing that it tries to ignore. The carefully (atrociously) separated parts still cast a shadow of the whole.
Nothing is “just.” Witnessing a work of art should evoke humility, not hubris. Just because you learned to decompose something doesn’t mean you should devalue the composition. Beauty demands a response—even responsibility.
To Jane on our eleventh anniversary, preparing to welcome our fifth child.