Opinion: It’s Time to Show the ‘Better Angels of Our Nature’
In a year where it's been difficult to find a majority of people to agree on anything, I'd like to propose an idea that maybe we all can embrace. It's not my idea or my words, but one of the most loved Americans in our history: Abraham Lincoln.
I would like to quote the words from part of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address given on March 4, 1861. I'd highly recommend reading the full text as shared on the Yale Law website. For my purposes, here's the key part as documented on Wikipedia:
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
As we head into Election Day in America, Yahoo is reporting that 77% fear violence. This should not be.
When Natrona County health officials tried to hold a public meeting regarding the community's response to the COVID pandemic, it had to be shut down due to hecklers. This should not be.
A friend who witnessed some of what's happened recently shared that "we're better than this". I agree. And, it's vital that we start to show it.
We've shared stories of hunters that saved an elk from certain death. Not long ago, Casper police helped a young boy in quarantine celebrating a birthday. Lots of Good Samaritan stories like the man driving down a remote highway today with no one around stopped to save a baby moose stuck in a fence.
It's time to make acts of selflessness and kindness like this the standard we strive for.
Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day. We can vote and then be civil with whatever the outcome is. We continue to battle an ongoing pandemic. We can support local first responders, nurses and officials that are trying to guide us through it.
In my opinion, it's time to follow Lincoln's words and show those better angels...before it's too late.