Love Thy Neighbor

We all know that the bible says "love thy neighbor". That means ALL of our neighbors no matter how different they might be from you. Loving people means standing up for them when they are put down. This means that if your neighbor is being bullied do not turn a blind eye. Speak up for them, do not allow the bully to continue their behavior.

Many of the things that Donald Trump says and the policies he is putting in place count as bullying and promote discrimination. It is up to us to speak up, for if we do not stand up for those being bullied we are no better than the bully.

Many people are scared right now, I am scared right now. Many of us are likely going to lose our health care. Immigrants are afraid of being deported and legal U.S green card holders are still being held in foreign countries. Since the election people around the country have committed violent crimes in Donald Trump's name. His behavior has made many people in this country believe that it is OK to be a bully.

Now more than ever we need to remember to love thy neighbor. To support each other and stand up for those most affected in our communities. Please keep in mind that unless you are indigenous (Native American), your family immigrated here. Being from Europe does not mean that you deserve any more opportunity than people from Mexico, Syria, or anywhere else.

I hope that we as a community can all pay more attention to the ways that we affect others. In what ways do we hurt people and not realize it? Are we silent when we witness bullying? I encourage us all to ask as many questions as we can and to listen to all of the possible answers with an open mind. I believe that we can all work together to make our community a thriving and welcoming place for everyone.

Yosi Perlstein

Smithville