Remember that your actions matter

Dear Editor,

Why do we live where we live?

We can choose where we reside, and there are reasons that draw us to certain towns, cities or rural communities.

Over time, we tend to forget why we chose the place we live and we end up disillusioned and resentful, forgetting what attracted us there in the first place.

Every one of us is responsible for the footprint we leave in our corner of the world.

It is irresponsible to opt out, leaving the work to others and then criticizing how they do it.

All of us should be making the world a better place. Our actions matter. So do our words.

We will be remembered as kind or cruel, loving or hateful, honest or devious. Our children are watching us, at every moment, and when our actions don't match up with what we say we believe, children will copy our actions.

When people are in a position of authority but they are not kind and respectful to others, terrible abuses of power can occur.

There is often a sense of privilege and entitlement, which others find too intimidating to question, but it always needs to be questioned.

Meanness only wins for as long as the bully can hold on to power.

Eventually, if enough people shake off their fear, stand up and say, “No more,” that is the place that change begins.

That day is now. It’s time to give of yourself. Get involved, take a risk, believe that positive change is possible. Talk is meaningless. Action is everything. Are you making your community better or worse? Everything hinges on your answer.

I am tired of tolerating meanness. No one has the right to degrade another person. When this happens, we all have a moral responsibility to stand up and say, “No more. This stops now.”

There is the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. The bullying stops when the bystanders get involved.

Sometimes we need a revolution to get us moving again.

There is too much at stake to stand by and do nothing. When we find ourselves at a crossroads, we must decide whether we are part of the problem or part of the solution, and the actions we take will answer the question for us.

Julianne Harvey, Crossfield