What happens to communities when those in power do not listen to the concerns of those whom they serve? Chaos and mistrust erodes. Chaos is complete disorder. Mistrust is a lack of confidence; to have no trust or confidence in. Confidence is trust; reliance; self-assurance; to have or show faith in. Faith is allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty.

Loyalty is faithful to a cause or ideal. Allegiance is loyalty to a person or cause. Trust is to place confidence; assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or something.

It is a sad commentary when one’s actions make others to view him or her as un-trustworthy by having no confidence in him or her.

Daily, upon reading newspapers listening to the radio and viewing television, chaos and mistrust rears its heads. What happened to mutual respect and concern for each other? It appears to be something of the past.
Perhaps, there should be a renewing of the right spirit. Psalms 51:10 (King JamesVersion), “Create in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit with me” Ephesians 2:10 (King James Version), “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Moss Hart, American Playwright and Director (1904-1961), “The self-hatred that destroys is the waste of unfulfilled promise.”

Alexander Solzhenitsy, Russain Author (11918-2008), “Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity.”

Have we become a nation of facing fears? Veronica Arroyo Bonet, Fort Myers, Fla., “The Latino community are always thinking, ‘Is this the day that we’re going to have a maniac, a wacko come into the store and shoot you because you’re black or Hispanic?’”

Dano Mendoza, Dover, N.J., “One of the greatest countries in the world is falling backwards in a certain kind of, let’s say, racism, discrimination.”

La Lisa Hernandez, Corpus Christi, Texas, “I feel like temperatures are just boiling over right now with hate in this country, and folks that say that they don’t see it are being willfully ignorant every day.”

Ruben Reyes, Phoenix, Ariz., “To think of people seeing El Paso as a pot of potential targets for them to go in and have shooting practice takes it to a place I never thought I had to consider.”

These comments were reported in USA Today, Aug. 20, 2019, After El Paso, Facing Fears.

Shirley Chisholm, American Politician (1924-2005), “I don’t measure America by its achievement but by its potential.”

Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

As a people, we must not stoop to the level of hate. Never make personal attacks toward others because we disagree with them on issues. We must become vigilant against hate, racism and discrimination. God Bless.

Editor’s note: The Rev. George R. Ames Jr. is pastor of the Wesley Chapel Church on the corner of Andrews and Wesley Church Road. He may be reached at home at 410-221-1880; 410-330-0986.