Recently spent a few days in the Laurentian Mountains, Mont-Tremblant, about 90 minutes west of Montreal. I was there for my niece’s wedding, set in a wooded and mountainous area in Quebec Province.
We stayed at a chalet, near the main house, a mile into the woods. We drove up to our chalet greeted by three white tailed deer. It was a beautiful spot, tranquil, the kind of place that gives you a chance to shed all the ‘baggage’ that surrounds us each day, the kind of place that lets you quietly reflect upon who you are, the people that matter to you, a time of introspection.
You feel it in the crisp morning air, see it in the leaves just reaching their colorful peak, and hear it in the wind.
We are amid perhaps the most divisive election in our history, rivaling the venom of Nazi, Germany. We have one major political candidate who talks about “genes” and immigrants “poisoning the blood of America.”
I’m reminded of the words of former Auschwitz SS man Oskar Groning, explaining the killing of Jewish children: “The children, they’re not the enemy of the moment. The enemy is the blood inside them. The enemy is the growing up to be a Jew that could become dangerous. And because of that the children were included as well.”
It’s an election, nationally, that has been tainted by a multitude of lies that too many Americans accept as truth. And not only is the vitriol on a national level, but it has also filtered into our local elections. You can read it in some of the neighborhood pages around Rhode Island, where lies and ridicule obscure the true purpose of these pages, connecting neighbors, sharing important resources.
Communities are being displaced by suspicion and hatred and division.
As I sit in the chalet, looking out at the surrounding mountains, I reflect on how important it is to regain community as a collection of individuals who act together for the benefit of family, friends and neighbors.
One of the things I find so powerful about community is how we make connections with each other, sometimes with people we hardly know.
I’m reminded of the story of the funeral, where family and friends spoke of the “the heart and soul” of the deceased, and how they never told him in life how important he was to them, his generosity and kindness. How those thoughts now were left to his eulogy.
Communities are drawn together by the things they share, how they reach out to one another in so many ways.
I’m tired of the efforts to tear our communities apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor on baseless claims promoted only for personal gain. I wonder, would parents who accept the lies from politicians accept them from their children?
I’m hopeful that when the dust clears after this election, communities will come back together, and we regain our respect for one another, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.
Strong communities, says Strong Family Illinois, “are the bedrock of society…(providing) stability, a critical factor that contributes to an individual’s ability to thrive.” Strong Family Illinois reminds that communities were often relied upon for survival.
I’m awaiting the day when neighbors are no longer fighting neighbors over political differences, where parents once again recognize the importance of instilling in their children a sense of integrity – these are just my random thoughts as I look out on the mountains surrounding our chalet, struck by the beauty and the quiet.
