Whenever a tragedy occurs, it prompts us all to stop and think. We think about why the tragedy happened, and what we can do to prevent it in the future. We think about what we love and value most. We think about what that tragedy says about us, both as Americans and as human beings.
The recent tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, has certainly made me do a lot of thinking.
As you know, a number of white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups staged a rally in Charlottesville on August 12. Many counter-protesters also gathered. That afternoon, a car was driven into the crowd of counter-protesters, killing a young woman named Heather Heyer.
Since that awful day, everyone from the President of the United States on down has expressed an opinion. As a professional, I always wonder when it is appropriate to share my own. Frankly, it sometimes seems counterproductive to add another voice into the fray.
But there are times when it is impossible to stay silent. Now is one of those times.
We all have different political viewpoints. We all have different beliefs. We all have different ways of seeing the world. I have neither the authority nor the ability to settle age-old disputes or solve age-old problems. But I do have a voice, and during times like these, I think it’s important to say what I believe.
Regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or political affiliation, there are some truths that really are self-evident, foremost of which is this: that ALL people are created equal. That all are endowed with certain unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. No person is better than another. God is no respecter of persons.
This isn’t, or shouldn’t, be controversial. This is the foundation upon which our entire country stands. Of all the philosophies, ideologies, and ideas that exist in the world, this is the one I love and value most.
That’s why I’m writing this letter—so there is no doubt where I stand. The words expressed in the Bible or Declaration of Independence have not grown stale or outmoded over time. If anything, they have grown more powerful, more necessary.
My heart grieves for Heather Heyer and her family. Her death is tragic in every sense of the word. But as her mother recently said, “she died fighting for what she believed in.”1 Her sacrifice has strengthened many Americans’ resolve to show an even greater commitment to tolerance and the pursuit of equality. A greater resolve to safeguard the life and rights of all people, regardless of their religion, or the color of their skin, or however else they are different from me.
It has certainly strengthened mine.
I love our country. I love the people in it, most of whom are decent and good. But we must always remember that we are a union—not just of states, but of peoples. A union of differences. Those differences make us stronger, not weaker … and we must embrace them, not destroy them.
Because we all have the same rights. We are all created equal.
The founders wrote the Constitution in order to form a more perfect union. It is our responsibility to uphold that union, and to continue perfecting it until the end of time. The best way to do that, I feel, is to be good to each other. To love one another. To stand up to hate and prejudice. To safeguard each other’s rights, not just our own.
Like Heather Heyer, that is just what I intend to do..
Building Your 2nd Half,
