There is so much to say and yet, there is no easy way to say it.

There is so much to do and yet, there seems to be no way to start.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen images and news reports that would leave many to believe the very fabric of our American society is fraying at the seams; better yet, tearing away at the seams.

The discourse and debate in our country is no longer civil, but caustic. The divisions in our country appear to not be growing fewer or smaller, they are instead appearing to grow larger.

Some of the longstanding civil understandings in our society — many that were believed to be the very foundation of our American society — have been shaken and cracked in recent weeks.

We have had segments of our communities believe they are being targeted by the very people sworn to “protect and serve,” as reported police brutality has led to the deaths of African American men and teens.

We have seen those who are sworn for the protection of our communities, our police officers, come under attack by domestic terrorists, bent in their view of what it would take to fix our nation’s ills.

Sadly, in the past two weeks alone, we have seen five officers killed in Dallas, three others killed in Baton Rouge and another in Kansas City.

Enough.

We can no longer continue on this path and expect our American society to remain strong.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

How fitting is that advice today? How appropriate is it and, if adopted as our belief, as our motto, imagine the positive change we can have in our society.

I am the son of a former police officer.

My father served four years as a police officer in Mobile, Ala., and after those years of patrolling the streets of Mobile, my father made the decision to change careers and became a teacher; a career he served for 30-plus years.

To this day, my father will tell the interesting and funny stories of his service, but I know there are stories he has not shared, memories he would like to have never had in the first place.

Recent events are troubling and have rattled our country to its core. But, we must remember that we are far bigger, far stronger than these incidents — both those reported incidents of police brutality and those terrorist attacks where officers died in the line of duty.

Remember, as King once said, “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

 

Tim Reeves is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at tim.reeves@vicksburgpost.com.