Lonely Silence

 
MLK, Jr. has a quote along these lines, "It is not the words of our enemies that we remember most painfully, but the silence of our friends"

The over-50 me understands this much more clearly than did the 25 yr old me.

And here is my addition to this wisdom.
"It is not fear of attack/punishment/condemnation from outsiders which stay my hand or cause me anguish; it is the knowledge that members of my own group will stand aside, and do nothing, leaving me at the mercy of those who would do me harm.