When a person is abused by someone in a position of trust, it is not only that they have been abused; they have also been betrayed.

Trust, once a bridge of connection, becomes a wall of captivity when a survivor is surrounded by those who still regard the abuser as trustworthy.

“When culture is degraded and vulgarity enthroned, when the social system does not build security but induces peril, inexorably the individual is impelled to pull away from a soulless society. This process produces alienation…a form of living death…the acid of despair that dissolves society.” -MLK

Sorrow is feigned,
confession is partial,
forgiveness is exploited,
restitution is an afterthought,
and reconciliation is an illusion,
as long as truth remains unnamed.

When harm is hidden, truth becomes fog.
Part II of my series on how perception gets weaponized is now live.

open.substack.com/pub/wademull...

This week's essay explores the ways in which a person can be a shape shifter who is constantly adjusting appearances depending on the situation, goal, and audience. Coercive tactics are not fixed but fluid, used interchangeably and strategically.

open.substack.com/pub/wademull...

The Gaslight Religion uses the language, ritual, and authority of faith not to liberate, but to control. It may not have a formal name or structure. Often, it’s a set of unspoken rules and reactions—a climate of confusion cloaked in sanctity.

open.substack.com/pub/wademull...