whoa

from today's Word-a-Day email:

I find it difficult to feel responsible for the suffering of others. That's
why I find war so hard to bear. It's the same with animals: I feel the less
harm I do, the lighter my heart. I love a light heart. And when I know I'm
causing suffering, I feel the heaviness of it. It's a physical pain. So
it's self-interest that I don't want to cause harm. -Alice Walker, author
(b. 1944)