Editor:
I, like many others, am struggling and stressed trying to make sense of the turmoil that is happening in our country.
Why people are so angry, politicians arguing, rioting in our streets and most recently the trespassing and tearing up of our Capitol in Washington, D.C.?
Through all of this I see one common thread: people hiding behind words. It has become so easy for some to throw out words and phrases that prick the skin of emotions without taking any personal responsibility. No facts or data to back up their words, just opinions that stoke the fire of human destruction.
Even the words “Democrat,” “Republican” or “Liberal” have become words of hate.
Other words and phrases that have so often been carelessly been thrown around are: “It’s my Constitutional right,” “Our rights are being taken away,” “I don’t like to be told what to do” or “I give others a voice they don’t have.”
Well, the last time I checked, I still had a voice. But along with that voice comes the ownership as to how I use it without overstepping my boundaries which could end up being destructive or promoting unwanted violence.
I once saw a shirt here in Sweet Home that stated, “I don’t live in Portland.” I can only hope that individual who was so quick to give their opinion or pass judgment also has a shirt that states, “I don’t live in Washington, DC.” You see, it’s easy to allow our emotions to speak for us, which end up pitting one against the other.
When I think of those that choose to hide behind words, I can only think they have inside them something they don’t want others to know about them – fears or insecurity. They speak in a way without clarity or telling the truth, using only words that gain support for their opinion.
Maybe, just maybe, if we were to try and learn to talk to one another with truth, compassion, understanding, humbleness and maybe a little love thrown in, the simmering pot of hatred might just settle down.
Bob Dalton
Sweet Home