To the editor:
“To expect bad men not to do wrong is madness.”
Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius’ words are as timely today as they were in the second century. They echo Maya Angelou’s famous quote, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
It’s time to believe. When words like “blood bath” and “poisoning the blood” are carelessly thrown out as triggers to stir up anger and hate, consider another timely quote from Maya Angelou: “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise.” It’s time to rise and say no to hate-laced speech. It’s time to rise and tune out the discordant rhetoric designed to create chaos and division. It’s time to rise above the noise and focus on maintaining a democracy of the people and for the people. It’s time to rise –– and to vote.
Rebecca Reynolds Leland
