As a child I was taught to be respectful to all people even when I didn’t like them. I assumed since adults taught it so frequently they practiced it fiercely. But now I am an adult and I watch the news, I read the articles, and I see that it trickles down into even our little newspaper. We mock politicians for using twitter to insult one another, but turn around and write a letter to the editor publicly insulting our neighbors. How can we expect politicians to behave with integrity and respect when we ourselves cannot? Do we not want the same things: equality, happiness, peace, and a better future for our children? Then where does this animosity come from? Why do we bring our venomous tongues to lash at the throats of those we disagree with? Let us talk without slanderous words. Let us exhume respect from its forgotten grave. Let us set an example for the world by being the change we want to see.
Hannah Clark