Think, speak to each other, and listen

I am the Left. To the president of the United States, I am the enemy and he says he hates me. Hatred is a virus and it’s endemic in our society. It feeds on anger, fear and ignorance. One treatment for it is speaking to each other, without the phony anonymity of social media.

My name is Christine Richard Palmer. I’m a new grandmother, a wife of 36 years to a retired cop, a mother to three adults and a former civil servant. I live in the same town I was born in, Riverhead.

I don’t know what left – progressive- Democrat means to you. I am these things probably because I was raised as a Christian. My parents were Republicans, my father a rock-ribbed conservative. I was told that I was not better or worse than anyone else on earth. I was told that I was very lucky to have been born healthy, financially secure and free. I was told that I had a responsibility to share with and help people who needed help. I still feel that way but I also know that a lot of what I have been given is because I am white and American. I don’t think our society should systematically ignore or reward racism. That is what “woke” means to me.

I don’t hate conservatives or think they are evil. I know conservatives who are charitable and charming people. Good people who are valuable to our community. They think I sell people short by thinking they need help from the government. I think they sell people short by not recognizing that potential sometimes needs assistance. They think bad people and bad policies cause gun violence. I think it shouldn’t be easier to buy a gun than see a psychiatrist. 

Am I over-simplifying complex things? Yes, of course. I see myriad problems and don’t know the solutions. No one has all of the answers to all of the problems. I have a lot of ideas but I respect the people who have studied and worked in their fields for years and I rely on their expertise for guidance.

I still believe that how we treat the least of us is how we treat the greatest. I’m not running for office, I’m not looking for an argument and I’m not looking for a donation. I’m just asking you to spend five minutes thinking about what we all have in common as human beings who live on Earth. With love, all things are possible.

Christine Richard Palmer

Northville