The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

My inner voice is ugly and critical. I can’t figure out why.

I’ve been trying to trace the origin of it all my life

Perspective by
Lily contributor
February 24, 2019 at 9:21 a.m. EST
(Aimee Pong/For The Washington Post)

Do you have an ugly voice inside your head? Mine is especially ugly.

I’ve spent a lot of time examining how my inner voice came to be so sharp and unforgiving. It made me bitter to recall the negative outside voices that have littered my life. Luckily, my life has been filled with its share of kind voices, too.