Letter to the editor: Have we lost our sense of community?

Do we really live in an “only me” society? For decades, the signs were all pointing in that direction, but I couldn’t figure it out. “It” was decreased involvement in religious organizations, etc., but the health crisis brought it all into focus. The countries containing the spread of the virus have people with a healthy sense of self-sacrifice for the common good.

I’ll spare everyone the lecture on face masks, but the only thing I’ll say is: My mask protects you and your mask protects me.

I believe we’ve lost our sense of community. When was the last time you spoke with someone who has different political views and you actually tried to understand his or her point of view, or at the very least peaceably agreed to disagree? We’ll never live in utopia, but what already makes America great is the diversity of backgrounds, ethnicities and opinions. I believe that we need to tune out noise from people who only spread outrage and remember that we all live in local communities made of real people with real lives.

“Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see” is an old phrase that holds true now more than ever. And since the rules of fairness, journalistic integrity and neutrality in reporting seem to have been briefly shelved, one’s own instincts are the only thing that can be trusted.

A foundational part of human instinct is friendship, which begins with courtesy, respectfulness, mutual understanding and tolerance.

Jan Stauffer

Lower Burrell