Letter to the Editor

When choices matter

Thu, 04/23/2015 - 10:15am

Dear Editor:

History is highlighted with unusual choices made because ordinary people suddenly find themselves in the middle of injustice and yet, a magnet of energy reaches out and gives them a way to save lives when lives are being destroyed. Oskar Schindler, interested in war for the money, noticed a small child in a red coat hiding from the Nazi police and made the right choice saving thousands of lives.

Erin Gruwell was hired to teach a class that everyone believed would fail. Ms. “G” knew lives of these students mattered and saw these students succeed and go onto college. Miep Gies, an Austrian woman living in Germany, offered Anne Frank and her family a place to live at the risk of her own life. In her visit to Ms. “G” classroom, she pointed out that it isn’t often when we have the chance to do something right. “When that window opens, we do it.”

Today it seems there are more life takings than life savings, yet those windows of opportunity are still opening and people are still choosing to do the right thing. The first sign came from the principal in Brooklyn who told every student one at a time that they matter. The next window opening was when NFL player Jason Brown left the world of wealth and stardom, returning to farming where greater lights were shining.

In 2013 many people from towns and cities in Maine unknown to each other responded to the window of need. When the lives of citizens were threatened, these strangers gathered together with religious leaders and stood as witnesses for those who could not speak for themselves.

In 2015, a window of light struck the heart of Gravity Payments CEO when he saw the struggles of his employees whose wages were insufficient and he made the choice that mattered — he took a $930,000 pay cut to provide a raise for every employee. Another light shined when Senator Burns withdrew a contentious bill “Preservation of Religious Freedom Act” for the better good of Maine.

All choices impact our lives and the lives of many we don’t even know. When we see these lights of opportunity to be kind, it saves lives and it matters.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb