Beyond what I would aspire to. Beyond what I would hope for. Beyond what I would want.

Borrowed faith. Borrowed joy. Borrowed belief. Enough to water the seeds of your own.

That was the lie. You’ll never do enough. And in a way, the lie was true. But it wasn’t a weight that was ment to be shouldered.

In the ancient world, to raid and retreat was standard warfare practice. That model was turned on its head by the Roman Empire. They established permanent relationships with the territories they conquered, introducing systems of citizenship, law, and infrastructure. From Spain to Israel and beyond, this was not mere colonization, but assimilation. In a time…

Where was the common ground? I searched high and low. There were familiar paths but I wanted to venture into new meadows.