Category Archives: Golden Rule

Jesus had a way of having the last word. A good example is when the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus the woman taken in adultery. After He said, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7), all the womans accusers left. There was nothing more to say, no more argument to hold. The truth of Christs words was enough to end the conversation.

There had been a long ongoing attempt by the religious leaders of the day to discredit Jesus. They accused Him of working with Satan (Matthew 12:24). On another occasion, Jesus gave sight to a man, and they cursed him for doing work on the Sabbath day. The list goes on, but everything Christ did came with accusations of evil by His enemies. The scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees were relentless in their pursuit of dirt on the Son of God because He was eating into their popularity and power.

The Pharisees last attempt to silence Jesus by nonviolent means comes as soon as they realized He had silenced the Sadducees. Again, He has the last word, but He also gives the secret of making life decisions both short and long term.

After three years of trying to entangle Jesus in His words, the Pharisees decide to send someone to Jesus that is an expert at twisting words a lawyer. The goal here is to get Jesus confused, force Him into a corner, or entangle Him in His words. They want to get Him to either contradict Himself, say something against the law, or give Him an unanswerable question. The purpose of this is to make Him look bad to the people, someone who is unworthy of their worship and devotion.

The conversation lasts for one question, and one answer when this failed, the Pharisees start the plot of Christs execution.

The attorney asks, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? There is little doubt that this was a leading question, but because of the Saviors wisdom, the lawyer will have nowhere else to go.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

There is no reason to discuss the law any further. All the law hangs on loving God and loving your neighbor.

For us today, Jesus has just established our decision-making process. Does what we want to do show love to God? Does it show love to those around us? If the answer is yes, proceed. If the answer is no, do not move forward. As with all decisions, there are many small factors to consider, but here are our general guidelines.

As Jesus said, our love for God needs all thy heartall thy soul, andall thy mind.

The heart is the seat of our emotions. We choose our emotions. If you had ever taken a minute alone before you confronted someone about something they did, you understand this concept. You are angry; you believe your anger may cause you to say or do something you will regret later. Therefore, you step aside for a minute and allow the mood to dissipate for a minute. You decided to get the emotion of anger under control before proceeding with the situation. When we love God with all our hearts, we allow Him to take control of our emotions.

The soul is our personality. What makes us who we are. With work, our soul can change. Someone greedy, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can become benevolent. When we love God, we give Him our soul. Through the process of time, He will work within us to make us more like Him. As He is the potter and we are the clay, He molds us (our soul) to be more like Him. But we must give Him our soul, and we will not do this unless we love Him with our soul.

Our mind is how we think. How we think is the basis of our decision-making process. When we love God with our mind, our mind will concentrate on things pleasing to God; see Phillipians 4:8.

Loving our neighbor as ourselves is another phrasing for the golden rule do unto others as you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12).

How much do you love God? Does He control your emotions? Do you allow Him to mold your personality into His likeness? Do you consider your thoughts; are they thoughts Jesus would warrant worthy?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, can we claim we are following God?

Johnson is pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County Indiana. Email: preacherspoint@gmail.com. Website: http://www.preacherjohnson.com. E-book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TUJTV2A If you email, inform me where you have seen Preachers Point. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

Visit link:

Preacher's Point: Heart, mind and soul - Morrow County Sentinel

Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is the Golden Rule that we hope our neighbors will live by. That is the rule that Geauga Countys neighbor, the City of Akron, threatens to violate.

Akron owns 475 acres of land in Geauga County that includes the LaDue Reservoir. LaDue is a beautiful, environmentally-sensitive watershed protection area, upstream from Akrons main drinking water supply along the Cuyahoga River.

LaDue is also smack-dab in the middle of Geauga Countys drinking water supply. Ninety-seven percent of us in Geauga County rely on water wells (groundwater) for our drinking water.

Akron is considering a lease deal with a private company that will allow that company to horizontally drill and frack for oil and gas under LaDue. They would receive $237,500 and 15% of royalties for any oil or gas produced. Not much money, really, for compromising the integrity of Geauga Countys groundwater, negatively impacting our quality of life and costing us unknown thousands of dollars for additional road maintenance and other public services.

Think about industrial activity along the shore of LaDue the noise from the machinery, the air pollution, frack fluid, oil, condensate, spills on the surface going into the reservoir.

Think about the parade of trucks on our roads, bringing in equipment, crews, the tons of sand needed for fracking. Think about the water needed to frack. Will those millions of gallons come out of the reservoir? How will that affect the reservoir itself and the flora and fauna in the area?

Think about how the underground drilling, the extraction of water from the reservoir, and possible spills will compromise our groundwater, the water that we drink every day.

Akron City Council needs to remember the Golden Rule and consider its neighbors in Geauga County. If youd like to let Akron know how you feel about their proposal to allow fracking at LaDue, you can make a public comment to City Council by email atpubliccomment@akronohio.govor by voicemail at 330-375-2566.

Shelley CherninRussell Township

Follow this link:

Letters to the Editor - Geauga Maple Leaf

These are challenging times, and we are being called to make decisions that not only affect our own lives, but the lives of others. To paraphrase a recent ad on television, Its not enough to do it alone, we must do it together. We have so many its today that we are often overwhelmed and dont know what decision to make. Part of that feeling is the impact our decisions have on others.

It is more and more evident that the world is at a crossroads: We can continue to work alone, or we can find new ways to work together. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that the solution to a healthy world can only come when each person in the world is healthy and protected. We can only reach that goal by caring for and working for others, as well as for ourselves.

The many protests, here at home, and in other countries, are calling us to have patience with one another, to listen to each other, to find the truth of the issues, and come up with mutually beneficial and just solutions. We cannot do it alone. We must do it together with mindful cooperation and trust. Working together we can and will find solutions.

At times like this our deepest spiritual faith sustains us. It is the underlying resource for helping us make these important and sometimes difficult decisions. What are the teachings of our faith? What does our faith tell us about working together? How are we to work together? The answers to these questions and our willingness to follow them are more important than ever for the world to survive.

This crossroads we are at right now is no less than the shifting of the consciousness of the world to a higher spiritual level. All species evolve, they dont devolve. We cannot go backwards; we must go forwards. For humanity that means our consciousness must evolve from doing it alone to doing it together. It is a conscious shift in perspective from the good of the one to the good of all.

Humanity already has one great resource to help us move forward. That resource is found in all religions. It is one common truth the Golden Rule. The words may be expressed differently in each religion, but the meaning is the same. We are to treat others as we wish to be treated. It is no coincidence that this important and basic spiritual teaching has survived throughout the centuries to help us in this time.

The Golden Rule has always been a good basis for making decisions. Will this decision reflect how I want to be treated? Is this decision loving, kind and positive? If the decision does not meet these guidelines, its time to reconsider. And it works for small decisions as well as larger ones.

We celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.s life this week and his passion for helping humanity evolve. He said, Its always the right time to do the right thing. He was not talking about the right that people expound upon when they want their own way. He was talking about the deeper meaning of the word right.

How do we know what is right? Websters Dictionary gives us this definition of the word: Something that is correct, just, proper and honorable. The Bible and other sacred scriptures explain that right is the truth of the divine working in consciousness. What is the truth of the divine? It is a knowingness about goodness found in the deepest part of our hearts, the sacred part. We often talk ourselves out of making the right decision. We reason, we bully, we insist, all the while trying to ignore what our sacred heart is telling us. And when we take action on that false decision, we usually suffer the consequences because we did not listen to the Voice of God.

We can no longer follow this old way. It is time for us to evolve and use our consciousness as God intended us to do. The Golden Rule can be our guide. Listening to the voice of God in our heart can direct us to right action. We are at the crossroads of humanitys evolution. We can either help each other to make the way easier or hinder the progress. There is no turning back. We must go forward prayerfully together with justice, honor, love, kindness, compassion and trust. The hope for the future is in our hands. Now is the right time to do the right thing.

Rev. Arlyn Macdonald is the senior minister of the Spiritual Awareness Center and Dean of the Spiritual Development Institute.

See more here:

RELIGION: Now is the right time | Opinion | montrosepress.com - Montrose Daily Press

Photo: OpturaDesign (Shutterstock)

As WSJ columnist James Mackintosh recently pointed out: the stocks that did best last year were priced below $1, which is odd, because a stocks price tells you almost nothing about the company. This market behavior coincides with the recent rise of individual investors using trading apps, with users flocking to Robinhood because of its ease-of-usebut is the app too easy to use? Do hobbyist traders even know what theyre doing?

The benefits of democratized trading shouldnt be dismissed out of hand, but it exists in tension with the fact that some people should simply stay well clear of trading apps. Per a recent New York Times feature, studieshaveshown that the more small investors trade stocks, the worse their returns are likely to be.

Robinhood, like other retail trading apps, lets individuals buy and sell stock, as well as other, more complicated trades. The knock against Robinhood is that, compared to other apps, its a hotbed of aggressive trading made worse by how the app gamifies the user experience. Per the Times :

G/O Media may get a commission

The golden rule of trading is to never invest what you cant afford to lose. Unless youre an experienced trader who knows how to evaluate a company based on its balance sheet, cash flow, market share, or management, youre probably better off thinking of trading as gambling, and applying the same precautions. Here are some tips on staying responsible with your money. Otherwise, if youre interested in trading, Nerdwallet has a good overview of best practices for day trading that can help you from getting fleeced in the long run.

Read more:

How to Use Robinhood Without Losing Your Shirt - Lifehacker

Savannah Morning News| Savannah Morning News

Vox Populi is the voice of the people. Leave your comments at savannahvox@gmail.com or 912-525-0869.

"The U.S. is averaging folks 1.16 million vaccine doses per day. If this keeps up, the goal of 100 million in 100 days shouldn't be too hard to reach. Isn't politics great?"

"John Kennedy's famous 'Ask not ...' speech has certainly been cast just side of the current crop of Democrats."

"To would-be car thieves in Savannah: We now keep our pet snake in the car. If she crawls up your leg don't flinch or you might get bit."

"Does Air Force One use fossil fuel?"

"Biden needs to be impeached for treating the National Guard very badly in Washington D.C."

"I think I will move to Ireland. All of our corporations will when the tax increases come."

"How is it that Bulloch Co., Effingham Co., Bryan Co. and all the private schools in Chatham County can figure out how to get the kids back to school but Chatham County public schools cant?"

"Bidens inauguration ceremonies gave a new definition to 'rent-a-crowd.'"

"All community pharmacies need to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible so neighborhoods can quickly get vaccinated."

"If it weren't sad it would be ludicrous: The rioters yell 'Treason' when they are the ones committing it."

"In order for the nation to truly heal and unify, Democrats must practice what they preach and reacquaint themselves with the Golden Rule."

"If Congress really wants to improve the health of poor people it would restrict the use of food stamps to healthy food."

Excerpt from:

Vox Populi: 'All community pharmacies need to get the COVID-19 vaccine ...' - Savannah Morning News

Stephen Craigan has warned Rangers fans the impending arrival of new signings means the club are planning for some of their current stars to move on.

Rangers have agreed a pre-contract with Aberdeen star Scott Wright while Nnamdi Oforboh and Jack Simpson of Bournemouth are close to finalising their deals.

Stewart Robertson explained at the club's AGM they would be looking to implement a player trading strategy where one or two of the major assets would be sold each summer.

It's a similar model to many other top European clubs outside of the top five leagues and Craigan reckons the Ibrox club are well placed to capitalise after some intelligent work in the transfer market.

And they key element in ensuring the system works is the continual renewal of the squad, something the Northern Irish pundit isn't convinced rivals Celtic have done.

Asked about the impending arrival of Ofoborh, Craigan told Go Radio: "If you looked at Rangers squad just now you'd think you'd think at some stage, some are going to have to exit the club.

"You can't just keep adding and adding and adding.

"I know Stewart Robertson said a few weeks ago that the club's business model will be that they have to sell one, maybe two players in the summer.

"Steven Davis is 36, Bongani Zungu is on loan. Is that something they would look at? Is that possibilities for players to exit and bring others in?

"Steven Gerrard will have realised what he needs to be successful in Scotland. He knows the types of players he needs.

"I think they are going for young players with room for improvement.

"Even Ryan Kent - they bought him for 7m but Leeds value him at 15 so there is an upturn in value and when you look at the likes of Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey and Glen Kamara who they got for 50k. It's as if that's the market they are shopping in."

He continued: "Look at Celtic. There's a huge rebuilding job in the summer. If you stand still and don't move quick you miss out on these sort of players."

Read more here:

Rangers are learning the 'don't stand still' transfer golden rule Celtic have failed to adopt - Scottish Daily Record

Gandhis stature on the international stage as a tireless crusader of civil rights and liberty is unique the post-truth histories of Gandhi notwithstanding. As an apostle of non-violence, he is unparalleled. But there is much more to Gandhi than being just a non-violent freedom fighter or a civil rights activist. Gandhi is one of the greatest thinkers that 20th century has produced. Gandhi came back from South Africa with a library of about 11,000 books (Reading as a Sadhana: Gandhis Experiments With Books The Wire, January, 30, 2018). His own writings are a reflection of his wide and varied reading. Not only did he write incessantly till the end of his life; he also delivered speeches, formal lectures and wrote replies to all who cared to write to him. Above all, he engaged in discussions with people who confronted him with questions. His Collected Works, comprising 100 volumes and covering a vast array of subjects, are testimony to Gandhis position as an intellectual.

Through his works, Gandhi not only presented a new vision of anarchist-socialism but also advocated a method to achieve it non-violently. He was one of the early trade union leaders of 20th century India. He single-handedly tried to convert Hinduism into an ethical religion. A great educationist, Gandhi started the Gujarat Vidyapith; he conceived the concept of basic education and even succeeded in implementing it. All the significant intellectuals of his time like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Bertrand Russell, Arnold Toynbee, W.E.B. DuBois, Aldous Huxley, Tagore, Einstein, Bernard Shaw, theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, et al have commented on his life and activities, at a time when the collected volumes of his work were not available; countless Indians and foreigners, in many languages, have written poems, plays, and stories on him. He influenced political movements worldwide; deep ecology is a Gandhi-inspired concept and so was the Chipko movement. Gandhi was also one of the promoters of the First International Conference on Anti-Racism in London in 1911.

Gandhi was a thinker, writer, public intellectual, political activist, political theorist and, above all, a philosopher who invented a new philosophical way of life. As a philosopher, he undoubtedly deserves to be ranked alongside the Buddha and Socrates (Gandhis philosophical way of life: some key themes, The Beacon webzine, 5 Nov 2020; Gandhi and the Stoics by Richard Sorabji, 2012).

It is not surprising that a thinker as profound as Gandhi should have commented on the Gita, the great metaphysical poem. His Anasaktiyoga, which is an introduction to his translation of the Gita, is a masterpiece. It is a treatise on ethics. And it offers the reader a guide to an ethics-led philosophical way of life. It is comparable with the Buddhas Fire Sermon, which is a short but great ethical text that commands the reader to give up her preoccupation with herself. To my understanding, this was part of Gandhis attempt to place Hinduism on an ethical foundation a programme he first formulated in 1907, when he published a free translation of Salters Ethical Religion.

Before I proceed to deal with the substance of Anasaktiyoga, I must dwell for a moment on its significant opening. The translation, Gandhi says, is designed for the working class, men and women. Significant too is Gandhis assertion that he practised Anasaktiyoga for an unbroken period of 40 years. Gandhi, like the Buddha, was an inventor of an ethics-led philosophical way of life. In this context, Gandhis claim can be seen as an invitation to the reader to embark on an ethics-led philosophical way of life.

Gandhi then goes on to tell the reader that, in his assessment, the Mahabharata is a literary text and not a historical work. Accordingly, all characters in the text including Krishna become products of the authors imagination. Krishna of the Gita is perfection and right knowledge personified, but the picture is imaginary.

Gandhi, however, is quick to assert that when he says that Krishna is a fictional character, he is not trying to say that the Krishna adored by his people did not exist. What he, in fact, is saying is that, that Krishna is not the protagonist of the Gita. After inviting the readers to reimagine Krishna as a figure in a text called the Mahabharata, Gandhi goes for a reformulation of the concept of avatar as it existed in the Puranas. He advises readers to understand avatar as a title ascribed to one who has performed some extraordinary service to mankind. This is significant because, if the concept of avatar as propounded in the Puranas is dropped, the Vaishnava discourse loses its coherence. The metaphysical foundation of the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism is based on a belief in a supernatural power or deity Vishnu/Krishna and its avatar(s). Gandhi, by suggesting to his readers to reimagine Krishna (the taken-for-granted supernatural foundation of Vaishnavism) as a figment of the authors imagination and by redefining avatar, was attempting to dislocate that very metaphysical foundation.

This reading goes well with some of the other stated positions of Gandhi (a) he was not a worshiper of Vigrahas and did not believe in the notion of a personal God; (b) all religions need to be founded on ethical practices rather than a belief in a foundational power; and (c) any belief which is incompatible with Ahimsa ought to be dismissed as unreliable and harmful.

Using the Vaishnava vocabulary, Gandhi attempts to change the meaning of the words by introducing secular norms for their use. This is the only text in which, as far as my understanding goes, Gandhi had made such an attempt. That makes Gandhis Anasaktiyoga unique. However, Gandhis attempts at destabilising the Hindu deities did not attract any significant attention. I think there are two possible reasons for this failure: First, Gandhi did not pursue this internal criticism of Hinduism with the same vigour with which he tackled untouchability. He was, perhaps, aware that pushing this idea any further would have resulted in his losing credibility among large sections of the Hindus. The Hindutva cadre had already begun to see him as their enemy, and, any further diminishing of his standing among the Hindus would have had an adverse impact on the political programme that he was trying to sustain.

Second, instead of critically rejecting many of his ethically problematic target issues, Gandhi often attempted to transform them to an ethically-acceptable format. This was the same technique that he used while dealing with jati vyavastha where, again, he did not achieve the intended result. As Akeel Bilgrami claimed in his important article Gandhi, The Philosopher (Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 38 27 Sep 2003), it was Gandhis commitment to Ahimsa that perhaps prompted his attempts to transform the unethical to the ethical without rejecting it outright, as rejection itself would tantamount to violence.

After attempting to destabilise the puranic/metaphysical foundation of Vaishnavism, Gandhi goes on to present Anasaktiyoga as desire-less action. Ahimsa and satya are presented as the necessary concomitants of desire-less action. Gandhi also downplays the relevance of ritualistic devotion by saying:The devotion of the Gita has the least to do with externals. A devotee may use if he likes, rosaries, forehead marks, offerings, but these things are no test of his devotion. This is yet another attempt by Gandhi to get his reader to shift away from the usually accepted ritualistic patterns of Hinduism which were deeply grounded in the Purana(s).

Anasakti, as Gandhi saw it, did not envision satya and ahimsa in action alone these qualities had to accompany even the intentions behind the actions. This is strikingly similar to what the Buddha claimed in the Nibbedhika Sutta in Anguttara Nikaya: Intention, I tell you, is Kamma. Intending, one does Kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect. This notion is alien to puranic Hinduism and it is even alien to the Bhagavat Gita itself. Only by purging ones intentions of selfishness, can one practice an ethics-led philosophical way of life. This was the central view of the Nikayas. I consider, therefore, that Gandhis reading of the Gita was inspired by the Buddha: I owe a great deal to the inspiration that I have derived from the life of the Enlighted One. (Speech in reply to Buddhists November 15, 1927). We know for a fact that Gandhi had read the Nikayas and was sufficiently influenced by it (Reading as a Sadhana: Gandhis Experiments with Books, The Wire, January 30, 2018).

The most important ethical rule Gandhi abstracted from his reading of the Gita, and what he labelled as the Golden Rule, is the following: All acts that are incapable of being performed without attachment are taboo. This golden rule saves mankind from many a pitfall. According to this interpretation murder, lying, dissoluteness and the like must be regarded as sinful and therefore taboo. Mans life then becomes simple, and from that simpleness springs peace.If we read attachment in the above quote as meaning selfishness/self-centeredness then the golden rule is that, since actions like murder and lying can be performed only when one is selfish, these are to be treated as tabooed. That is why Gandhi claimed: Thinking along these lines, I have felt that in trying to enforce in ones life the central teaching of the Gita, one is bound to follow Truth and Ahimsa. When there is no desire for fruit, there is no temptation for untruth or himsa.

Given that ethics, and with it non-violence, were central to Gandhis reading of Anasakti, he was bound to raise the issue of the appropriateness of the use of war to present the concept of Anasakti in the Gita.

Gandhis understanding of the term Anasakti was apparently very different from the authors own understanding. For the author of the Gita, Anasakti meant tyaga, a ritual action which is an aspect of some of the Vedic kamya karmas. In these kinds of Vedic yagnas, the Yajamana (the person on whose behalf the yajna is performed) ritually performs an act called tyaga giving up the fruits/Phala of his yajna for the sake the deity/devata. In the Gita, the author invokes this Vedic yajna (Chapter III, sloka 9) and uses it as a metaphor to get Arjuna out of his inaction which is described in Chapter I. Arjuna is advised by Krishna to give up the fruits of his action by treating all fields of action as a kamya karma in which the performer does tyaga and relinquishes the results of his action for the sake of the devata. In the context of the Gita, that devata is Krishna (Chapter III, sloka 30) and such an act, Krishna assures Arjuna, would absolve him of all Pp(s) of which Arjuna was apprehensive. In the Gita, the author used the yajna metaphor to get Arjuna to prepare for the deadly massacre in which, according to his brother Yudhishthira, one billion 660 million and 20,000 men were slain (The Mahabharata, Book11, Stri Parva, K. M. Ganguli translation, section 26, https://www.sacretexts.com/hin/m11/m11025.htm); a feat that even delinquents such as Hitler, Stalin, Truman, Churchill together could not achieve.

Viewed against the backdrop of such colossal violence, as imagined in the Mahabharata, how is it possible for Gandhi to claim that the Gita propagates ahimsa? Gandhi, in his attempt to purify the Gita of its violent streak, did not pay attention to the metaphor of yajna. What Gandhi saw, instead, was the existence of a contradiction in the text the idea of Anasakti /desire-less action, if taken not as tyaga, is not compatible with the violence preached in the Gita. Given his reading, Gandhi takes a very daring step and refutes the author of Gita: Let it be granted that, according to the letter of the Gita, it is possible to say that warfare is consistent with renunciation of fruit but 40 years of practice of Anasakti had convinced him that perfect renunciation is impossible without perfect observance of ahimsa in every shape and form. What we see in the last part of Anasaktiyoga is Gandhi casting doubts about the wisdom of the author of the Bhagavat Gita the most revered text of popular Hindu tradition.

Gandhi, however, makes a reconciliatory move as usual. He invites the reader to overlook this contradictory moment of the Gita by saying that the author of Gita, given his historical setting, could not see all the implications of renunciation of fruit. Nevertheless, if one were to work out the logical entailments of the concept of desire-less action, it would be evident that ahimsa is what desire-less action entails. This was Gandhis argument a heroic attempt to purify the Gita of its justification of violence.

Gandhis reading of the Gita, the most important text of the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism, is part of his internal criticism of popular Hinduism. He identified himself as a Hindu because of his birth and attempted to bring to it an ethical foundation in the place of pre-existing folk-based metaphysical themes a project first initiated by the Buddha of the Nikayas. Gandhi thought, rightly or wrongly, that the Buddha was a great Hindu reformer.

The writer taught philosophy at St Stephens College, Delhi University

See original here:

Gandhis Gita - The Indian Express

St. Augustine wrote that the once democratic Roman Republic was founded on a multi-god religion, with a hierarchy of gods based on dominance. The Roman Republic became the Roman Empire when Julius Caesar became a dictator in 46 BC and was later declared a demigod. It seems the Roman democracy did not survive in part due to its religion and subsequent empire based on dominance.

Christianity, other religions, and our nation are based on beliefs in one God, the Golden Rule, and we the people. These beliefs include liberty and justice for all in the USA, melded together with capitalism grounded in the Enlightenment Period (human reason).

Our democratic system historically has not been zero-sum (i.e., its all about winning, and for me to win dominate others must lose, because I know best and deserve the best). Unfortunately, weve drifted to a predominant zero-sum perspective in recent decades focused on I / mine tribalism, rather than we tolerance and solidarity.

The recent book The Upswing by Robert D. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Barrett is a good investigation of the cycle of I we I in our nation from the Gilded Age of the late 19th century to the present time. We can change the current tribal I / mine trend that is destroying our democracy, if we can believe and live that were in this democracy together to make a more perfect union for we the people (a primary purpose of our Constitution, consistent with the Golden Rule).

Al Kean,Cottage Grove

In the 2016 presidential election, many liberals and Democrats said Trumps victory was illegitimate due to Russian interference. They spent millions of dollars and wasted congressional time, trying to prove it, to no avail. They suffered no consequences for their opinions.

In the 2020 presidential election, many conservatives and Republicans questioned Bidens win, claiming massive voter fraud, and irregularities in voting precincts. These allegations were never given credence or thoroughly investigated by Congress or the media.

Since the Democrats are in control now, Parler, a conservative social media platform has been blocked by some tech giants Former Facebook officer Alex Stamos told CNN we have to turn down the capability of these conservative influencers to reach these huge audiences.

The Minnesota League of Women Voters recently sent a letter to our legislators stating that they could be accountable if they continued to talk about a stolen election

Why is the conservative voice being silenced? I find this very disturbing. The vast majority of conservatives and Republicans are not inciting violence. Why should their opinions be suppressed due to a few radicals?

Freedom of speech should be allowed for all in America. In order to become united, we should all share our viewpoints and discuss our differences.

Vicky Moore, North St. Paul

Upon reading of the upcoming resignation of Steve Marchese from the St. Paul School Board, it occurred to me that we taxpayers need his help. As the only school board member who voted against the will of the teachers union regarding this falls pandemic learning, could Mr. Marchese give us an exit interview via this newspaper? In it, please let us know how to get out of the grip of the teachers union.

A majority of the various populations polled during the pandemic wanted a choice to reenter the classroom, even most St. Paul teachers, apparently. But the teachers union did not. Why couldnt the school board overrule them? Do the board members feel compelled to side with the union for fear of not getting reelected? Does the school board even have any authority to act? When a current member, Zuki Ellis, bemoans the fact that students have been disenfranchised, and says, as reported in this paper, that she is so, so angry, one has to wonder with whom she is angry. Also disconcerting is the fact that she and Chauntyll Allen, this January, again voted to keep all students out of the classroom, supporting the union stance, when the vast majority of parents now indicate a preference for in-person learning.

What must be done to put control back in the hands of the schools owners, the taxpayers, government leaders and district administrators? Must we declare, in law, that teachers are essential workers, and mandate binding arbitration?

The next election of St. Paul school board members is in November, when a majority of the board (four members) is to be elected. Voters, perhaps it is time to vote for candidates who are independent thinkers, and who have the best interest of the students and the community at heart, rather than necessarily voting for those endorsed by the union.

Deborah Mulcahy, St. Paul

The people in caravans who are headed for our southern border are mostly good and hard-working young people trying to find a better life for their families.

They are escaping poverty and violence fueled by the drug and human trafficking cartels. All of this is tolerated by their unstable governments. These young people are ones who are most likely to revolt against the status quo and bad government. But it is safer and easier to leave.

Unstable South American governments are happy to get rid of the young people who they see as the greatest threat to their power. These governments cannot provide services for their population so they gladly let people escape.

Unfortunately, when young people leave their home countries to cross our borders they increase the likelihood that their home governments will never change. The unintended consequence is this: Millions of people in the future will be subjugated to the same poverty and violence the caravans left behind.

Warren Poole, St. Paul

Follow this link:

Letters: Do we want a more perfect union? Stop with the zero-sum thinking. - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

To the Editor:

Re Biden Plan Gives 11 Million a Path to U.S. Citizenship (front page, Jan. 20):

Immigrants, asylum seekers and Dreamers like me have endured four years of attacks from the Trump administration. Even though I can breathe a sigh of relief with this new administration, the uncertainty of my status remains the same.

This is why President Bidens proposal to overhaul our nations immigration system matters. Millions of undocumented immigrants are currently serving as essential workers, and yet have not received any sort of assistance in previous Covid-19 relief packages.

I urge Congress and the Biden administration to finally pass immigration reforms, and am hopeful that they will.

Jose GarciaSan FranciscoThe writer is a communications associate with the Latino Community Foundation.

To the Editor:

While I totally support a path to citizenship for the Dreamers who were brought to this country as children, I oppose their Dreamers status being used as a path to citizenship for their parents who are here illegally.

Gail G. AbramsLittle Silver, N.J.

To the Editor:

Re Trump Ignites a War Within the Church (column, Jan. 15):

As David Brooks observes, people of faith who support Donald Trump are at a crossroads. Some are waking up to the fact that their political savior is a false prophet who must be repudiated. The rest are lost in a desert worshiping a golden calf of their own making.

Perhaps in Mr. Trumps gilded reflection, they can still imagine their dreams fulfilled, or feel strong or righteous. But in casting their lot with Mr. Trump, these Christians have strayed into a moral wilderness. They nearly took the country with them.

Kevin BerrillChevy Chase, Md.

To the Editor:

David Brooks highlights divisions in the evangelical church, but I think that some other churches in our country have become a microcosm for divisive, vitriolic political opinion.

As a Christian, I found it disturbing on Jan. 6 to watch Trump patriots gathered around a large hand-held cross to pray before assaulting the U.S. Capitol.

This is an appropriation of Christianity to justify an alternate reality of lies.

What has happened to the golden rule to love your neighbor as yourself? Why cant the clergy preach about Christs espousal of truth, a central tenet of Christianity, without worrying that they will be attacked by right-wing conservatives in their congregations?

I hope that it wont take generations for our churches to heal.

Margery CuylerLawrenceville, N.J.

Read more here:

Opinion | Paths to Citizenship - The New York Times

This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard/Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

It has been a challenging 2020, and we are so glad it is over. However, we are also grateful because we have used adaptability as a mantra, always moving from or towards the LIGHT. Look in the mirror. Look past the outside. What do you see inside the surface? We are strong, resilient, thoughtful, caring and humble. We have done the best we can with what we have. Made use of our collective brains and tapped into resources we didnt know we had. TRUSTED our inner voice. We have pushed ourselves outside of our comfort zones, way outside, took risks, learned technology (who knew Zoom would become a friend), built our relationships, spend time with ourselves, and sought out the other.

We learned to surround ourselves with POSITIVE, smart, role models. We learned that we are kind and can be role models for others. We learned words of positivity I can, I will, always finding the good in others, always having a glass half FULL, always being a good listener, always living by the Golden Rule. My Dad was an amazing human being. He didnt care if you wanted to be a ditch digger as long as you were happy.

Always remember we are each on a journey. Ask yourself how many interconnections, intersections, caution lights, green lights, twists and turns do we encounter with each other. This is a fabulous way to live. We are never clones of others; we are each a wonderful precious gift. Together we can and will make a difference.

We all want to leave our world a better place for the next generation. We all must Pass the Baton and Pay It Forward.

Happy and Healthy 2021.

Daryl Suzanne Files serves as Community Engagement Specialist for InterFaith Works.

Visit link:

CNY Inspirations: The past is HISTORY - syracuse.com