Problem Solving – Page 6 – All It Takes Is A Little Love

A DIY Disaster

Published on May 2, 2017May 2, 2017 by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

671-ss-filling-joints-patio-pavers It’s late on a Sunday afternoon and I am sitting here wearing filthy clothing that is no doubt forever ruined. My big toe is bleeding from being ripped from its bed by a stray tree limb. My face is covered in sandy grit and my hair looks like Daryl’s coiffure in The Walking Dead. It wasn’t supposed to end this way, but I’m way ahead of my story so let’s go back to the beginning.

I have a lovely paver patio that husband Mike and I have enjoyed for several years now. We often dine there enjoying Mother Nature’s splendor. Of late I have had to continuously pull weeds that have grown between the crevices of the bricks because most of the sand that once filled the joints has evaporated due to wind and rain. I decided that it would be a fun and worthy project to get our favorite spot back up to speed. After all, who doesn’t like a DIY project? Why should Chip and Joanna get so much credit for what they do when we are all capable of a little fixer upping, right?

So I did a bit of research on YouTube where it’s possible to learn how to do virtually anything, and it seemed as though it was a very easy task. After all, Mike and I have done electrical work and I have painted a twelve foot wall using a ladder perched on a countertop. We are not exactly ignorant of the ways of home maintenance and repair.

Our first step was to take everything off of the patio and set it in the yard. That was quick and easy. Then it was on to ridding ourselves of those pesky weeds. That was a bigger project than we anticipated but it ultimately went well. We congratulated ourselves on a job well done. Next we power washed the entire area until it was gleaming like new. We were definitely on a roll and feeling a bit cocky about our abilities. I was actually day dreaming about the possibility of a new business venture in patio renovation.

While the area was drying in the warmth of a beautiful sunny day we went to Home Depot to get the compound to put between the joints. The place was packed and filled with employees pretending not to notice anyone who needed help which seemed fairly normal. Since Mike wasn’t about to ask anyone where to find what we needed (What men ever do?), it was up to me to inquire. A young man acted as though we had interrupted important work which included moving a two by four from one spot to another, and at first insisted that he had no idea what we were talking about. An older gentleman did his best to be a bit more polite, but it was obvious that he wasn’t quite sure what we were talking about. I suppose that there was a bit of a language barrier in his case. That should have been our cue that we were in trouble, but we persisted and finally the two of them began arguing about which of the many products were best suited for our purposes. They finally agreed that a sand and concrete mixture was exactly what we needed. We took their advice and headed for home thinking that in only a couple of hours we would have a beautifully renovated outdoor setting. I was particularly flying high with anticipation of how wonderful our finished project was going to be.

We had been instructed to pour some of the mixture directly on to the surface and then use a broom to sweep it into the cracks. Things seemed to be going swimmingly until some of the sandy substance began bleeding onto the pavers looking wet rather than dry. I have since found out that this is called staining and it happens when the area is not completely dry. Since it was only occurring in a couple of places we soldiered on thinking that all would still be well. Before long we had covered the entire surface and filled every joint, but the bleeding began to take place in multiple sections. Before long it appeared that we had literally killed our once gorgeous pavers. We swept and swept and swept, removing excess powder thinking that we might be able to save the day, but the problem only grew worse and worse, and after over an hour of sweeping there was a gray layer of sand all over every single paver. Not only had we lost all of the lovely color of the bricks, but the bleeding had reached an emergency level with gray concrete oozing over almost every single surface. We decided that maybe wetting things down might help, but that only lead to a crazy looking mess that gave the appearance that a group of kindergartners had decided to design an outdoor walkway. Our only option was to get the power washer out once again and literally soak the surface with so much water that the cracks were empty once again and the offending gray concrete was removed from the pavers. It literally took hours of hard work to spray the ugly film from each paver, one at a time. We wanted to cry at the evidence of our big fail, but there was little to do but laugh at our ineptness.

We were able to save the patio, but it now sits in a pool of dampness that will probably take days to dry. Every crack is wide open, so I expect the weeds to come back with a vengeance. We did a bit more research and now know what kind of substance to get. It is sand with a polymer, not concrete. Hopefully we can install it with more success by Tuesday or Wednesday and then put a sealant on the surface to keep it from washing away or getting dirty. I truly hope that we have a more favorable outcome than we did today. I am feeling a bit like a dunce and Mike is aching from standing on the hard concrete for almost six hours washing every square inch to keep it from being ruined. We both have a new respect for the little old man who did the original work for us, and maybe Chip and Joanna are way more impressive than we thought.

I’m going to go wash away my shame now. I now have a new set of work duds for dirty jobs, because the ones I am now wearing are only suitable for hard labor in the future. I can tell by the throbbing pain that my big toe is so damaged that I will not be wearing flip flops or sandals this summer. (I know. I know. I should have been wearing shoes, but I am a bit of a sixties hippie and I do my best work without confining my feet.) I guess that we may put “patio repair” on the list of things that we no longer wish to do, like plumbing and putting a roof on a house, fiascos with stories of their own from the past. Sometimes it’s best to stick with what we know rather than venturing into new territory. I suppose that we needed to do a bit more homework before trying our hand at something that is way harder than we anticipated.

I think that sometimes we are pence wise and pound foolish. We probably could have paid someone to do this for us and avoided a great deal of grief, but hey, we are retired and have more time than money. We should be able to do this. We know people who have had great success at such things. Surely we are as capable as they are.

If the weather holds up and the surface dries out, we will try again in a couple of days. I shouldn’t be worried, but I am. I shouldn’t feel ridiculous, but I do. The video showing us the process looked so easy. In fact, the people got the whole thing done in only four minutes. Surely we will get this right. I can only hope.

For now Mike is downing a beer. I think he has the right idea.

Speak Out

Published on May 1, 2017April 26, 2017 by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

Attending college was one of the most exciting times of my life. My professors challenged the status quo of my beliefs and taught me how to think critically. They were never satisfied with having me simply regurgitate what I had learned. They insisted that I show evidence of having considered the pros and cons of every argument or theory. They showed me the importance of viewing the world from multiple points of view. I remember attending events featuring some of the most controversial speakers of the era. It mattered not whether I agreed with them, but rather that I allow myself to widen my own horizons. Some of those that I heard were brilliant and I wrote others off, but always there was the sheer enjoyment of becoming familiar with new and intriguing philosophies.

When I became a teacher I was enthralled with the idea of showing my students how to become critical thinkers. Even in mathematics classes we compared and contrasted differing methods for solving problems and began to discuss the merits of each. I once prefaced such an exercise by having my students read accounts of a Revolutionary War battle written by four quite different individuals. One was the eyewitness account of a patriot, another was from a letter written by a British soldier. Still another was penned by Winston Churchill for his famous history and the last was from the point of view of a bystander who had little interest in choosing sides. The students immediately realized that how we see the world is influenced by all of the complexities of our lifetime. They began to question who had been in the right and wondered if we ever get a totally unbiased reporting of events. It was quite rewarding to watch the scales fall from their eyes and to experience their enthusiasm in being able to engage in a debate.

I am and always will be a staunch proponent of free speech. Unlike many people that I know, I actually enjoy hearing from individuals whose opinions are diametrically opposed to mine. When in their company I listen with as open a mind as I might possibly muster, realizing that my own thinking is rooted in the totality of my lifetime. My goal is not to catch them in mistakes but to truly learn from them. It is rather amazing how much I derive from even the most ridiculous sounding ideas. I have always felt that we tend to spend too much time composing our responses and not nearly enough attempting to understand why people believe as they do.

Obviously there are many instances in which I am not even minutely swayed by someone’s beliefs, particularly when I sense that they are evil or violent. I have read Mein Kampf not because I am a follower of Nazi propaganda, but because I think it is important to know what lies in the minds of such people. Perhaps the biggest mistake that too many make is running away from the rants of those who would impinge on our freedoms. In truth we should make ourselves aware of even their most rancid and unbearable thinking. I agree with the Godfather that it is important to keep our enemies close.

I abhor censorship of any kind. Free speech is perhaps our most important right as citizens. When I write my blog each weekday I am fully aware that I will annoy or even anger some who read my words, but I will fight to the death for my right to state what I believe. I will do the same for anyone else, even those with whom I totally disagree. The hallmark of totalitarianism is the tendency to eliminate the written or spoken words of those voicing alternative points of view. A free nation insures free expression of ideas in all phases of society. If someone urinates on a cross and calls it art I may choose to disagree and even feel offended, but I will never insist that the offering be destroyed.

I am somewhat befuddled by the current trend to shut down free speech at universities that were once bastions of open expression. I don’t personally like Ann Coulter but I have no problem with having her speak on the campus of any college including my alma mater. I don’t have to attend the event and I certainly don’t have to agree with anything that she says. What I should insist on is that she have her opportunity to speak her mind without interference. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but her words will never hurt me. In fact, I suspect that her audience would be rather small if not for all of the unearned publicity that she gets each time a group of students threaten violence if she shows up to give a speech.

The history of the world is filled with instances of book burnings and executions of people whose thoughts and words seemed controversial. The Spanish Inquisition was a dark time of squelching ideas. Members of ISIL destroy anyone and anything that is offensive to them. Surely the examples of Nazi and Communist oppression should teach us that it is in an open society that we progress as humans, not one in which we refuse to allow alternative points of view. Unfortunately I fear that we are presently on a razor thin line between wanting to be inoffensive and becoming unthinking censors. It is my love of liberty that tells me that we must be very careful in protecting our rights as free men and women. All of us should be loudly complaining any time that there are attempts to silence any among us, regardless of whether we agree with that individual’s beliefs or not.

With regards to what I am presently witnessing I am reminded of the now famous words of Pastor Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.

Speak out loudly and clearly. Let no one take away the free speech of any among us.

The Old Is New

Published on April 24, 2017April 13, 2017 by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

In The Trenches It was a dark time in history. The world was engaged in a heinous war whose purpose seemed unclear to most who tried to understand why millions of young men were dying. The brutality of the battles was unimaginable. Modernity had changed the nature of fighting in truly horrific ways. Mankind had not yet outlawed the use of chemicals as weapons. Nothing, it seems, was taboo, and so young men were permanently mutilated by agents like bombs and sarin gas. Never before had there been such murderous activity in mankind’s seemingly relentless quest for power. World War I is a war that we often ignore when in reality its effects continue to plague us to this very day.

The United States initially watched events unfold from afar. It’s hard for us to believe but our nation was very much a kind of backwater region at the onset of the twentieth century. Most of the world powers still thought of our government as a fluke in the annals of history, hardly worth noticing when compared to the vast influence of Austria-Hungary, Germany or Great Britain. Militarily the United States was ranked number seventeen, just behind Serbia. Few paid much attention to our still very young country as they engaged in an epic struggle in Europe.

At the beginning of World War I the United States was in debt and still far more rural than urban, but it had incredible natural resources and manpower which became a lifeline for nations like Britain and France during the fighting. With so many of their young workers unable to farm or work in factories it fell to the United States to supply the food and material needed to survive. The USA became a beehive of activity all while insisting on a neutral stance regarding the war. Initially most Americans were disinclined to become involved in a dispute that seemed to be more of a disagreement between royal relatives than a meaningful cause. Instead they enjoyed the fruits of commerce that were occasioned by the war.

The war that was supposed to be resolved in a matter of weeks dragged on with horrible consequences for European nations. The citizens watched helplessly as their youth were killed or maimed in heretofore unseen numbers. After almost four years of fighting France was on the verge of capture and collapse. Britain was little better. Russia was boiling over with a revolution that would dramatically alter the course of that country for the next hundred years. It appeared that Germany would soon dominate Europe. The United States enjoyed its relative safety and newfound prosperity while Europe burned.

Germany believed that it might break the will of Britain and France, thereby winning the war, if only the United States were prevented from sending supplies, and so they boasted that ships traveling across the Atlantic toward Europe would no longer be safe. Their gamble backfired and resulted in a declaration of war from the United States. Within months hurriedly trained American soldiers and weapons, began arriving to bolster the Allies, breaking the stranglehold that Germany seemed to have on the continent. By turning the tide of the war and helping the Allies to win the United States earned the respect of all the world. Suddenly our country had become a superpower and a king maker. For better or worse we have played that role ever since.

A hundred years ago President Woodrow Wilson justified our country’s involvement in war as a way of spreading liberty and democracy. It is an idea that is bandied about to this very day, but then as now a sizable number of people question the arrogance of interfering in the affairs of other nations. Such thinking was again used successfully as a rationale for World War II but lost its luster during the engagement in Vietnam. Presently the world finds itself in a confusing quagmire in the Middle East, a part of the world many of whose problems began with the peace negotiations at the end of World War I. One hundred years later we are seeing the results of arbitrarily dividing the spoils by redrawing colonial maps in a manner meant to punish the losers rather than consider the needs of the people living in the areas once ruled by European monarchs. The roots of today’s problems were unwittingly planted by power brokers whose intent had little to do with spreading freedom.

The world changed dramatically a hundred years ago particularly for the United States. We took on a mantle of responsibility back then that has always had an aura of discomfort. By nature we want to be the good guys, the heroes, but tiny voices of caution echo inside our heads. Part of our nature wants to be left alone, just as our forefathers who fought for their independence from an ever invasive government. Another side of our personalities feels compelled to constantly fix whatever we see as being broken including other governments. The tension between these two points of view are as prevalent today as they were back then. Our divisions are in reality nothing new.

One hundred years ago even as we appeared to be saving the world conditions were ironically far from ideal in our own backyard. Women were still fighting to win the right to vote. Race riots broke out in cities across the country in the summer of our victory. Many of those who had spoken against going to war languished in prisons. We still had much to do at home before serving as advisors to the world. Hypocrisy quietly reigned much as it often does.

Everything old becomes new again. After a hundred years much of the idealistic thinking of those who supported World War I has been tarnished by reality. We find ourselves feeling anxious as the world smolders as though coals of discontent from our past have once again caught fire. We ask many of the same questions and silently worry that a truly peaceful world is a pipe dream, the stuff of fools. We wonder if our warlike natures will always and for all time inevitably take hold. We would sometimes like to wish ourselves back to a time when we were number seventeen in the world and nobody expected much from us, but we know that our ship has sailed and now we much pray for the wisdom to find answers that will do the least harm. As we do so we would do well to remember the lessons from history.

Remembering the Lessons

Published on April 14, 2017April 10, 2017 by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

Knot Try to imagine this scenario. Groups of Americans from the United States begin to peacefully demonstrate against the president of our country in locales all across the country. The government sends in the military to quell the disturbances and in a show of force they gun down protesters. This angers even more people who join the rebellion which grows angry and violent. There are enraged armed mobs in your town fighting against the soldiers. You watch as the disturbances grow into all out civil war. The lines between enemies are blurry and take on a religious aspect as well as political. Splinter groups form, some of which are barbaric. You and your family members are caught in the crosshairs. Bombs from the government come into your neighborhood. Bullets from the rebels forces lodge in the walls of your home. Terrorists taking advantage of the unrest kill your friends and relatives in the most brutal manners. What was once a place of peace has become hell on earth. You do not want to leave your home but fear that if you do not, you and those that you love will surely die. A final blast of chemical weapons from the government forces convinces you that it is no longer safe to stay in the place that has always been your refuge. You watch children who live near you dying in the cruelest manner. You can’t take the horror any longer and so you decide to flee.

At first you make your way to Mexico or Canada. You are placed in a refugee camp with thousands of others. You are told that you may not stay indefinitely. There are too many of your kind seeking escape from the war. Your temporary residence is infested with crime and want. You live in a tent that is either too hot or too cold. Disease breeds freely in the unsanitary conditions. You feel only slightly better than you did in the place from which you have fled. You try to get to other places that might be more welcoming or more pleasant. The process is difficult and even if you are lucky enough to gain a passage to some nice town in Europe the residents of those places view you with suspicion and disdain. All you really want is to be able to sleep at night without fear. Your dream is to one day be able to return to your home and begin your life anew. Your whole world is upside down and none of it is of your own doing. It all feels so hopeless.

In the meantime, different nations are choosing sides in the battle that rages back in the United States. Not only are there disagreements to resolve between the government and the rebels but also different factions within factions as well as other countries. It is such a tangled mess that you despair that it will ever be possible to sort things out and find the peace that you so desire. You cry for your country and for yourself as years pass without resolution and the gordian knot of trouble only grows tighter.

Of course, these events are not unfolding in the United States but in Syria. Try as we may we will never know the heartache that has so defined the lives of the people of that country since 2011. Their nation sits on the Mediterranean Sea just across from Egypt bordering the countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. The war has displaced more than two million people and stretched the resources of their neighbors and countless European nations. Diplomatic and military efforts have failed to broker any kind of resolution and all the while terrorist groups like ISIL have taken advantage of the situation to make their own claims on the land and its citizens. Shia Muslims have taken to fighting with Sunni Muslims. Russia, China, and Iran side with Syrian President Assad. The United States, Germany, Britain and France have attempted to aid the rebels. It is a standoff that threatens the Middle East, Europe and much of the rest of the world.

I cry for the people of Syria. I understand that the vast majority of them simply want to be left alone and allowed to return to their homes where they might live in peace. None of the rest of us want war either. Nobody seems to have any idea of what is the most effective solution to a daunting problem. Here in the United States we have learned that sending troops and treasure to fight battles can be a solution with no endgame. We have also seen that diplomacy does little. We are caught in a conundrum in which the choices are all unpleasant and the results are uncertain. Do we do nothing and let the people of Syria figure out the path to eventual peace or do we choose a side and commit to fighting for what we believe is right?

The answer to such a question is both confusing and frightening. If we stay out of the fray, things may only escalate and make the situation even more dangerous for all of the world. If we show force we may become involved in a fight from which we cannot extricate ourselves without great loss of life. It feels as though even the wisdom of Solomon might be wanting in knowing what to do.

Today is Good Friday, a day on which we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Politics and religious debates were in full force in the time of Christ just as they are today. An innocent man was put to death for fear that his teachings might result in a rebellion that would topple the power structure. Two thousand years later mankind is still feuding over differences in beliefs but millions in all parts of the globe now follow the lessons of Jesus. His message was powerful and his disciples spread the good news of his word in spite of their own persecutions. It is rather amazing to realize that Jesus Christ is even more revered today than he was when he walked in the Middle East two thousand years ago.

This is a time of reflection and prayer in the world. Perhaps it should also be the moment when we join with people of all faiths in imploring the heavens to help us find a resolution to the unrest that so threatens all of us. We can be inspired by the life of Christ whose constant admonition and example was that we forgive and love. I wonder how we can possibly solve the problems of other nations when we continue to be so hateful with one another right here in the United States. It is truly time for us to set our personal differences aside one individual at a time. It is the moment for us to shed our pride, our hypocrisies and our obstinance. Those are the elements that lead to a Syrian-like war. First come the words and then come the weapons. We must do whatever we need to bind the wounds that have turned brother against brother right here in our own nation. Perhaps once we have learned to be civil with one another again we will enjoy the combined wisdom of many points of view in finding solutions to the problems that plague our world. I truly fear our future if we fail to return to a state of understanding and humanity within our own ranks. It is only in valuing our collective differences that we will be able to exert the power needed to propel ourselves and the world in the direction of good.

At Odds With Ourselves

Published on February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

79310435_131963728899 I’ve spoken before of my great grandfather John William Seth Smith who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. I know what I do about his service because he died fairly young and his widow, my great grandmother, filed for a pension from the Army based on strong evidence that his health woes began while he was serving in that horrible conflict. In official documents she describes the horrific conditions that he endured that left him with multiple health problems from which he never improved. She furthermore noted the depression that he suffered from the memories of war that weighed heavily on him all the days of his life.

I suspect that many young men from both the north and the south were permanently damaged from what they saw. There is never anything easy about being on a battlefield and the trauma of being a soldier must have been doubly compounded by the reality that the men were sometimes fighting their brothers and neighbors. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible the four years were during which the very life of our country was under siege. Surely the differences that divided the citizens might have been settled in less extreme ways. In retrospect it is quite clear that the fighting was foolhardy and immensely hurtful to everyone but at the time there were far too many who harbored so much anger that they were unable to engage in rational negotiations. A complete and total severing of relationships appeared to be the only feasible path. Four years later the flower of youth in both north and south had been decimated by the rancor.

I’d like to think that we have learned a powerful lesson from that terrible war, but of late I have begun to worry that perhaps we no longer remember the price that people paid in refusing to settle differences. My grandfather was one of the lucky ones who lived through the battles but his body and his mind were both with riddled pain from what he witnessed. I suspect that if he were able to speak to us today he would warn us to beware of the unwillingness to compromise in our political leanings. In the end he found a modicum of peace only by living a rather isolated existence in the middle of a great forest as far away from any possible conflict as he was able to be.

Civil wars always take an immeasurable human toll. Right now there are so many places on earth where people from the same country are fighting with one another over ideologies, some of which are political and some religious. Innocents who only wish to be left alone have lost their homes, their possessions and their lives. In Iraq ISIS continues its reign of terror but even more terrible is the fact that people are often also victims of the infighting between Kurds and Muslims, Sunis and Shias, everyone and Christians. Nobody trusts anybody. Even watching a family walk innocently down the street is cause for fear lest any one of the members, including women and children, be a suicide bomber. Life has become hell for people in cities like Mosul which has become a place of ruin and fear

Syria is has its own form of hell that has sent millions fleeing for safety. Sadly even in the refugee camps there is quibbling between are from different religious sects. Christians have had to flee from the sometimes gross mistreatment from their fellow refugees and many of them have been forced to live in the open in the mountains, homeless and frightened. The situations in these war torn areas are so complex that there are not simple answers.It saddens me to think of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man, and I simply cannot understand how things become so inconsolable between people that they feel that hurting one another is the only answer.

There is far too much animosity brewing in the world at this moment and our own country is becoming more and more divided by the day. It is disheartening and frightening. I hear people speaking of riots, violence, coups and martial law. Such mutterings make me wonder if we are dangerously close to another civil war.

Fear all too often leads to anger and unrelenting anger begets hate. I worry that we are whipping ourselves into a frenzy. Even our leaders are boasting that they will never work with one another. It is as though they actually want us to break apart. They almost appear to delight in the battles. Mostly though what bothers me is the behavior that I see among the regular citizens who have become so enraged that they have lost sight of civility. Friends stand at odds with friends. Families are choosing up sides. There is an ever growing tension that is frightening.

I posted an article on Facebook last week hoping to prompt some discussion of ideas. To say that the resulting commentary was lively is an understatement. I finally ended the back and forth by noting that in spite of the many different schools of thought, some of which were very different from my own, I still love everyone who contributed to the conversation. I find myself asking when we Americans became so loathe to allow differences of opinion. I wonder why we seem no longer able to learn from one another. When did we begin the practice of summarily dismissing anyone who dares to suggest an idea unaligned with our own?

I have observed multiple instances of friends and relatives reaching a point of no return in their relationships over discussions that grew unnecessarily dark and angry. Is this the way a civil rupture begins? Are we seeing the first bubbles in the bottom of a heated argument that will ultimately grow into a rolling boil? Why are we even risking the possibility of tearing our country apart? Why can’t we find a way to get along and why is there nobody willing to take the lead in doing it?

The media isn’t helping. In fact they seem to be almost unable to contain their glee over the excitement that is percolating. Our president isn’t making a move to bring us together. In fact he is stirring the pot, bragging about how great his ideas are and refusing to admit to mistakes or apologize for unfair insults. The democrats are little better in refusing to work with their republican peers and inciting even more anger. Everyone is boasting that they are going to fight. To what desirable end can all of this lead? As far as I can see it is only causing a rent in the fabric of our nation that will be difficult if impossible to mend. We have been this way before in our history and the outcome was not good. What would make any of us think that refusing to work together is going to solve any of the problems? Are our leaders so worried about being elected that they would rather tear our country apart than have the courage to bring it together again?

Yes. I am very worried. We do have many problems and there may even come a time but the ways in which our leaders are approaching them is very destructive. Those of us who are ordinary citizens will ultimately all be hurt and even more so if we turn on one another. I think that we all need to look into our hearts and find the will to be an example for our leaders who seem to have lost their way. They will ultimately bend to our will if enough of us join hands and let them know that we have want a government that strives to work together, not one based on gridlock and anger. We can start a movement by shoring up those relationships with our friends, and neighbors and kin with whom we may have disagreed in the past. We must begin to respect one another again and save our righteous indignation for the truly evil. Hate only leads to more hate. It is in love and forgiveness that we will find the safety and comfort that we all wish to enjoy.