We Bathed the Kittens in Kerosene

The Ethical Will of Donald Armstrong, Part 2

For an explanation of what an ‘Ethical Will’ is, please see my previous post, ‘I Leave to You … Whatever Wisdom I May Have Gained.’

Sometimes the best of intentions yield the worst of results.

I grew up in a small town in northern Illinois, my childhood largely spent within walking distance of the mighty, muddy Mississippi River. It was farm country, dotted with towns and villages that existed to serve the needs of those who tilled the soil. The people who lived there were generally decent people, mostly Republican and overwhelmingly white. The majority were — at least ostensibly — Christian, and the Protestant work ethic was taken quite seriously. Rural … white … Republican … Christian … although few gave it much thought, those were also the filters through which they viewed and judged the larger world.

My father was, by any measure, a hard worker. In fact, it seemed like that was all he ever did. He farmed, he labored in a factory, he went into business when he opened a service station … and then a second one. He was up early and he was out late. I don’t recall him ever taking an entire weekend off when I was growing up. Sundays were more of a relaxed day, and occasionally he would take the family for a drive on a Sunday afternoon. In…