“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
When Shawn told me we were publishing a letter to the editor responding to the 11 March piece, it struck me how long I’ve been doing this. My mind went back to some of the reactions we received during the Iraq War. Twenty-three years later, we live in an age when even a neutral opinion can cause offense, and war heightens those sensitivities as it encourages confrontation. I opened the paper with some hesitation.
Mr. Caauwe’s comments, however, were intelligent, measured, and in keeping with the best of our community—neighbors speaking to neighbors in a civil society that feels increasingly rare in a time when every event is filtered through partisanship and identity. Thank you, sir, for the reminder to look for the Christ within the “other.”
Sadly, civility weakens outside the bubbles of relative tranquility that still exist in many small towns, rural communities, and a few urban neighborhoods. It is almost impossible to find on social media, which seems uniquely capable of bypassing the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain that normally inhibits unfiltered thoughts and supports self-control.
An ebb tide lowers all boats. War—and its cousins, civil unrest, supply chain disruption, economic hardship, and political upheaval—weakens the bonds that hold together any nation that endures them. The longer it lasts, the greater the strain. Will we weaken, or will we grow stronger? The Second World War forged a powerful nation, but at a terrible cost. Only time will tell what is in store for us. The best we can say at this point is that, as the Babylon Bee observes, the current tax dollars are winning against the tax dollars from three years ago.
So stay civil out there. We may need our neighbors more than ever before this is all over. Chag Sameach, and a Happy Easter to you as well.
Outside The Box 