It is time for Daily News contributors to stop writing letters to the editor that are pointedly demeaning towards any race, ethnicity, gender identity, or religion. We can hope, and should expect that the well-tempered Daily News staff will honor our right to freedom of speech while recognizing the danger to the community of printing any letter that contains hate speech towards any group. Let’s stop fueling prejudice, and proclaim on bigotry a truce that stretches far beyond this traditional season of love, joy and peace.
We also need to respect the right to personal privacy and self-determination. Who are we to tell anyone where their ancestors did or did not come from, unless they have shared with us the story of their family or the findings of their personal DNA report? People’s personal histories are just that — they are personal, and frankly, unless someone wants to share their story, it’s none of our business.
We would be better served to apply the wisdom of second-century sage and teacher Rabbi Akiva, who is said to have imparted to his students the quintessential message of the Jewish faith: “Don’t do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. All the rest is commentary.”
Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word … you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
We have been receiving an inordinate amount of untruth lately under the claim that it is true. We need to seek after the truth and realize that what we thought was true may no longer be true as a result of new technology and/or new research. An example from a recent letter to the editor quoting a 1976 author’s claim that most of the Jews in Israel are not related to the original Jews of history. Now with DNA tests it has been shown that most current Jewish residents of Israel clearly are related to the Jews who originally settled the land more than 3,000 years ago.
Another problem is reports or stories that contain bits of truth mixed with untruths and fables. Nick Giers’ column of Dec. 15 is a good example of this, mixing fables with some biblical truth, which winds up casting aspersions on the biblical truth and perhaps misleading people who do not know the truth.
In a somewhat similar vein, many global warming proponents continue to claim a future disaster is coming if carbon dioxide production is not drastically reduced. I have not seen a single proponent talk or write in detail about the huge cost of, and at the moment impossibility, of transitioning to wind and solar energy; or the fact that China and India, two of the top three carbon dioxide producers, are continuing to produce increasing amounts carbon dioxide; or that the poor, in this country and elsewhere, will be the most adversely impacted by such a transition.
Partial truths may have very detrimental impacts, which need to be rectified. All truth is God’s truth and we should be working together to discover and follow it.
