Letter To The Editor
Black-white; and gray. Win-lose; and compromise.
Us-them; and include. Unite-divide; and collaborate. Different-same,
and human. Fear-love; and compassion. These choices are always with
us as we move through our individual lives and our collective lives
as citizens of our great state and country.
The US
and NH appear to be in the midst of a crisis of spirit. We see this
most clearly in the rising suicide rates, the opioid crisis, mass
shootings by US citizens against her own including her children. It
is at a fever pitch as we argue whether traumatizing immigrant
children is inhumane or acceptable “collateral damage.” My
grandfather gave his life in WWII fighting to stop a leader that
systematically categorized some people as “other” and “illegal” to
justify intentional harm.
Our
country’s greatest moments in history were rooted in the third way -
compromise, collaboration, compassion, recognizing humanity and
broadening our circle. Our greatest tragedies were rooted in fear,
division, prejudice and defining people who were different as less
than human.
The
stories I read as a child about Anne Frank, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller
and others deeply influenced my understanding of how we should treat
people. As we honor our country’s birth we get to decide once again
which path to follow; which lessons to teach our children about how
to treat people. It is my hope that we listen to the call of her
greatest guiding principles - to be a beacon of hope and model for
human rights.
Cyndi
Paulin
Gilmanton Iron Works
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