This is so well-written it's almost tragic. I want to tease out several points: the other day I bought and have been trying out a new headline software program. It regularly chides me for using what I can only refer to as fifty-dollah words, with which this piece is liberally sprinkled to my extreme delight. When I first began writing in the Army forty some years ago I was told to write to the eighth grade level; that is now deemed WAY too advanced. That said I will not stoop to the low brow. I like big words; words are my art form, informed by endless and pleasurable hours of reading people far smarter than I.

The other point, and it think it really speaks to so much of where we all are, is that we have to speak to people where they are rather than where we hope they may be. While we as the author don't have permission, to my mind- to assume we occupy hgher ground than Dear Reader, it's also fair to say that if we wish to achieve any kind of monetary success we have to produce about 80% of our work which has greater appeal to a larger mass of people, if you will, and about 20% which is purely creative and artistic. We don't have to, of course; this is simply reproducing what most talented clay artist friend of mine does who has enjoyed a very long and highly successful career as an artist. "Successful artist" isn't a common combination. She learned how to run her art as a business, found out what sold, and spent most of her time producing what sold vs what made her heart sing. Every so often one of her heartfelt pieces would take off. One of them lives on my dining room wall. I learned a lot for that friendship.

For my part, so much of what I write appeals far more to people who are deeply committed to personal growth. If I pen a piece which involves outrage it will outperform others most every time. I find that deeply unfortunate, but right to your points. The problem is that were I to follow where that kind of payment leads, I will have made a Faustian bargain. Having just written that I have to accept that today there is a massive swath of folks who have no idea what a Faustian bargain is, or what it's like living under the Sword of Damocles. Still, my readers, those who really like and regularly read my stuff, both appreciate my use of literary as well as popular movie quotes, fifty dollah words and the occasional jaunt to the dictionary.

Writers who make me think as I read are a gift. Yours did. It was beautifully written and I am delighted you got so many eyeballs. That gives me hope.