2/11/2024 0 Comments Translate e pluribus unumProviding help to those who need it is a sign of weakness, not strength. The budget battles reveal that the new motto is: Each man and woman for him or herself has become a form of social Darwinism–survival of the fittest and forget everybody else. The belief that we are one nation–united in purpose–caring about and for one another, is no longer the practice. In Washington, the translation of E pluribus unum has been lost. In Vermont, we’ve had the opportunity to translate those words into action. For better or worse, we stand side by side. Whatever conditions confront us–good times or bad–the message is, we are in this together. Why did they leave their own comfort zone to comfort others? And why does this generous spirit seem to only surface in our small state, when the country at large is in need of a similar sense of neighborliness? Is it because we are a small state where a lot of people know one another is it because we can see the devastation with our own eyes, and do not rely on anonymous photographs and statistics that are scrubbed of all emotion? Or is it, as we may be tempted to conclude, that we in Vermont are simply better than those in other far-flung states? Ever since the rivers overflowed their banks, many Vermonters brimmed over with empathy for their neighbors, and, often, for complete strangers. What we got was another affirmation of the Vermont sense of community. We may never get the exact count–it doesn’t matter. ![]() This past weekend, hundreds and hundreds of Vermonters responded to the governor’s call to help clean up the debris left behind by the onslaught of Tropical Storm Irene. To submit a commentary, follow the instructions here.Įditor’s note: This op-ed is by Madeleine Kunin of Burlington, Democratic governor of Vermont from 1985-1991. Commentaries give voice to community members and do not represent VTDigger’s views. VTDigger strives to publish a variety of views from a broad range of Vermonters. Commentaries are opinion pieces contributed by readers and newsmakers.
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