Oscar Wilde

Born: October 16, 1854

Died: November 30, 1900

Sin and suffering haunt this world, just as they haunted Oscar Wilde. Some of it is of our own making, to be sure, but much of it is also inflicted upon us by forces outside our control or comprehension. Christ died for us, yet the suffering continues. No matter how many times I step into the confessional and do my penance, the sin and injustice continue.

So why continue the process? Perhaps because, as Wilde suggests, we cannot begin to understand what we have done and what we are capable of—both good and evil—unless we do. Perhaps I can only understand the glory of the heights through being mired in the depths. Perhaps it was the very injustice that Wilde suffered that enabled him to campaign for justice for others.

—Nathaniel Hunter