To the Editor:

I am a human being, a member of a family, an American, and a Democrat, in that order.

Notice what I didn’t list. 

I could have been born in Asia, Africa, or Palestine, on a reservation, in Harlem, or in Mexico. I could have been born looking much different than I do, and treated accordingly by society, but I wasn’t. I could have been born a girl, or gay, or differently abled, but I wasn’t. I could have been raised Buddhist, Muslim, Anglican, Jewish, atheist or animist, but I wasn’t. I could have been taught only Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Swahili, or Arabic. I could have been raised only by my mother, my grandmother, or adopted, but I wasn’t. I could have been born in a different time in history, in any situation.  I had no choice in the matter. In some ways I won the lottery, in other ways, I lost. Imagine that. In some ways I lost.

Perhaps you believe that God has a plan for you, but then God has a plan for each of us, and God has us born into these very different situations around the world. Given that, how do we treat our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood, in our nation, and across the globe? Do we treat them as equal human beings, with the respect they deserve? Do we listen to each other in our vast array of experiences, or yell at each other? In this country, do we truly afford all God’s children the equal opportunities that we espouse as Americans? 

This is the great challenge of this world, now more than ever.

As a member of the human race, are you a person of good will? Do you strive toward respect, fairness, and peace?

Or do you give into fear, anger, hatred, and false division?  Do you give into arrogance or greed?

This is your choice. For the sake of your soul, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the billions of your brothers and sisters alive today and for all our descendants, please choose wisely.

Dan Kowal

Franklin