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