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Letter to the Editor

If it is true that “united we stand, divided we fall” then we’re in a heap of trouble. 

In my 72 years this country has never been more divided than we are now. And it is true locally. We are falling down and apart. Talk-radio shows, TV newscasts, Facebook and Twitter clearly prove this sad point.

Is there a path upward and together? Yes, via pursuit of the common good. What is the “common good”? It is a society that functions democratically; it follows the rule of law; and it requires all of us to recognize our common humanity and intertwined relationships. Jesus would say it is loving your neighbor as yourself. It is recognizing that “Everyone does better, when EVERYONE does better.”

How is this accomplished? By setting aside a what’s-in-it-for-me-and-mine mindset and embracing an all-of-us-and-our perspective. This perspective cheers on friends, coworkers and even anonymous neighbors in their pursuit of individual and community advancement. It supports any of us who are vulnerable or neglected. It recognizes that we are in this time and place together and it is to everyone’s advantage for any of us to do better.

In economic terms, when increasing numbers of fellow Polk Countians come to have more money to spend, more skills to apply and more time to share, all of our ventures and projects will grow exponentially. This is true for Republicans and Democrats, Christians and agnostics, men and women, blacks and whites.

Life is not a zero-sum game, wherein if you get more I must get less. It’s not a fixed-sized pie. The pie actually expands for all to share in, when we focus on EVERYONE doing better for the common good. And it is time, past time, we do so. The path upward is together.

David R. Hosick

Tryon