Words Matter
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grevious words stir up anger … the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things … in his lips there is a burning fire. … a wholesome tongue is a tree of life.”
The Book of Wisdom
Those ancient words speak to us today. By what we say, we light a fire that burns us all, or plant a tree that nourishes. Over the past several weeks we have heard both, from our leaders and others. The contrast is stark. But the path forward, which we all have to walk, however difficult, is clear.
The President:
“They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans. The left-wing mob is trying to demolish our heritage, so they can replace it with a new oppressive regime that they alone control."
“We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing.”
David Holt, mayor of Oklahoma City:
“I can speak from personal experience in Oklahoma City: white Republicans are having these uncomfortable conversations and are wanting to have them. I’m seeing a broad consensus of support and empathy for the issues being raised by the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Tate Reeves, governor of Mississippi:
“There are people on either side of the flag debate who may never understand the other. We as a family must show empathy. We must understand that all who want change are not attempting to erase history. And all who want the status quo are not meanspirited or hateful.”
Drew Breese, quarterback New Orleans Saints:
“We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial and prison reform.”
Jackie Bradley Jr., outfielder Boston Red Sox:
“There’s a lot of feelings, emotions, hurt and pain … it’s not going to be fixed overnight … you have to have the heart to be able to physically, emotionally and mentally make that change to be better, not only for yourselves but for others around. We’ve come a long way as a nation but we still have some ways to go.”
Martin Luther King III:
“I don’t know if we as a nation have had on blinders and all of a sudden the veil was lifted, or if the incidents were not always fully captured on video and there were always some questions.
“The thing with this incident is that he was not able to move, so there was no need to use excessive force, and people see that. There’s no question about this man. He was asking for help over and over and over again. He called for his mom. Everyone can empathize with what happened and see the wrongness in what happened, and now maybe realize that this is a problem that has been going on for a while.
“I think that we as a society, particularly those of faith, we have to pray for change, we have to work for change and we have to be the change. For if love has not yet won, then the battle is not yet over.”
Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President:
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.
With malice toward none; with charity for all; let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; … to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
Douglas Kane is the author of "Our Politics: Reflections on Political Life" published in 2019 by Southern Illinois University Press
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