A personal shame story that nearly killed me, but instead birthed wisdom. To be fully alive, we must guard against and remove every trace of death. We have to recognize shame for what it is, and how it stealthily spreads from one person to another, like contagion. We learn to fight the shame but not its host, simply by having our eyes open, and rejecting it when it’s thrown our way. Instead, we learn to be a mirror, held up to kindly but firmly bring accountability and shine light into darkness.