Growing up in Waterville was a truly thrilling experience. The area had a great deal to offer, but most importantly we had a subtle form of diversity which allowed us to grow up appreciating the differences between people. French Canadian ancestry mixed with Lebanese heritage and us somewhat bland Anglos with the solitary black person, a wonderful and well-loved young man named David Quirion, made for a special melting pot. What tied it all together was civil discourse. I am sure that the adults disagreed but the modeling we received was all about working out differences rather than blowing them up into major conflagrations.

With gun rights and child safety, leaders criticizing traumatized victims 1,500 miles away, and disagreements about how to protect the environment leading to personal attacks, we are sharply divided. In Jackman, it did not take long for a deeply Republican community to rid itself of a “leader” who had divisive ideas about how certain people deserved to be treated.

At the very least, it seems to me to be reasonable for citizens to expect leaders to lead controversial discussions with an even hand and not to inject their opinions unless called to break a tie. We can disagree and still feel really good about our conversation.

With an average of six articles each morning about discord in Washington, I am looking to my neighbors to quietly work out their differences without filling the morning paper with accusations and defensive posturing. We can do better than this.

Rob Pfeiffer

Solon


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