The healing power of community

A couple of pumpkins displayed recently along a sidewalk on River Street in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

The world can discourage us and knock us off the path of progress in an instant, but we can also reject that eventuality, and confidently know that the best in us, as a people, is still very present and powerful.

The spirit of many cherished traditions and events has lived on, and found new expression, despite numerous barriers presented by the pandemic. The latest example of this is Halloween, with trick-or-treating happening less but within lower-key, smaller events in neighborhoods — like it was probably done decades ago (with the exception of social distancing and other health precautions).

Examples like that are reassuring, because they show how we still embrace our communities, which are the key to healing the divisions that block efforts toward a more just society where we can more readily trust one another. Our communities can effectively be incubators for broader, national progress. To see that happen, we have to patiently work at it on the local level, cultivating productive relationships and building new ones to create a new patchwork of unity, one that values progress while respecting differences.

Meanwhile, Election Day is coming up, and as the nation counts down the hours until the polls close on Tuesday, we face important and daunting challenges as a country. Whatever may happen in the coming days, we can decide to lay a foundation for unity together, by acting on the side of peace, patience and compassion for others. In the end, the solution to society's issues follows a more loving path, which will gradually dispel hate and distrust as we work toward improving this nation we cherish.

— Gareth Henderson