Category: change
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A union with purpose
This country isn’t pristine and it isn’t perfect, Amanda Gorman said in her poem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. We the successors of a country and a time When a skinny Black girl Descended from slaves and raised by a single mother Can dream of becoming president Only to find herself reciting for one And…
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Open your soul
Our country needs more compassion–and more hope. “We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts,” President Joe Biden said in his inaugural address. “If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes, as my mom would say, just for…
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Love, not hate
Martin Luther King’s words are worth repeating this week. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that,” King once said.
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Make small talk
In his book On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder lists “make eye contact and small talk” as one of his ”20 lessons from the 20th century.” “This is not just polite,” Snyder explains. “It is part of being a citizen and responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings,…
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Stand out
In his book On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder lists “Stand out” as one of his 20 lessons from the 20th century. “Someone has to,” he explains. “It is easy to follow. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But, without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set…
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The truth
“To abandon facts is to abandon freedom,” says Timothy Snyder, a Yale historian and the author of On Tyranny. “If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding…
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Tell the truth
To abandon facts is to abandon freedom,” says Timothy Snyder, a Yale historian and the author of the book On Tyranny. “If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the…
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When love is the way
The world needs a lot less pandemic and a lot more love. “When love is the way, poverty would become history,” says Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry. “When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way, we will lay our swords and shields down by the riverside to study…
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Unless someone cares a lot
When my children were teenagers, they sometimes replied, “I don’t care.” “It’s important to care,” I would tell them. That’s why I like this quote—which I found on a blue sticker packaged with several presents from my son, Jay, and his wife, Rachel. (They know I like quotes!) The Lorax said, “Unless someone like you…
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A new year of surprises
May your new year be filled with happy surprises. As Thoreau once said, “Each new year is a surprise to us.”