In his letter to the Editor, Adams discusses the ‘viscous cycle of hate’ in America.
It’s sad to see Americans assaulting one another in the streets. It’s reminiscent of the Nazis and the communists battling in the streets of Weimar Germany, and it’s ironic to see these things happening at a time of unprecedented freedom and prosperity.
A lot of things are still wrong in our country, but we’ve made great strides overcoming the poverty and the social barriers of the past. Who among us would rather live in the America of 1917 or in any non-Western country today?
Who benefits if riots like those in Charlottesville and Ferguson become commonplace — a few billionaires who’ve been short-selling American assets stand to get richer if our economy falters. Nations hostile to America would no doubt like to see our cities burning. Communists, Nazis and anarchists may think they can advance their political agendas in the aftermath of the chaos, but the rest of us will pay dearly if this mayhem escalates.
It’s too easy and too human to get angry at a whole category of people because of the actions of a few. For instance, most of the people involved in “Black Lives Matter” probably just want a redress of well justified grievances, regarding the way the police behave in their neighborhoods, but a few violent felons can turn a peaceful demonstration into a riot and burn down the town.
Intellectually lazy people will blame everyone in BLM for the violence; others will place the blame on the entire race. Others, equally foolish, will blame the actions of the Klan or the Nazis on much larger groups, most of which comprise people of good will.
We may not be able to stop others from succumbing to the viscous cycle of hate, but we do rule our own hearts. We choose whether to love our neighbors or not. A real American hero titled one of his books “Strength to Love.” How strong are you?
Greg Adams
