Hank

You know, it don't serve no purpose to forgive anyone's sins simply because you like him. But there may just be a lesson in understanding his background and seeing things in context.

One of my Christmas gifts was a biography of Hank Williams, Sr. He's the patriarch of a branch of country music royalty, followed his son Hank Jr., grandson Hank Williams III (a ringer for his grandfather in voice and appearance) and Coleman Williams, a great grandson whose stage name is IV, noting his place in the hierarchy. 

Hank's songs are often poetry and also often angst ridden (though not always), and I love them. Yet at the risk of severe understatement, his life was difficult. I won't bore you here with the details, but he went through a lot of tough stuff. Some was of his own making, perhaps. But when you become familiar with his background, maybe he can be cut slack. Indeed, I would argue he ought to be.

One lesson which is so simple that it shouldn't have taken me more than 60 years to learn is that being considerate of people is the essence of charity. Their indiscretions in and of themselves may well be indefensible. But what led to the errors of their ways, well, it's a factor.

Hate the sin, love the sinner. Hank weren't perfect. But he understood the world despite that. His songs show it. I think we're better off for them, and that gift mitigates a good many things.