Nass: We quarrel, but we’re still one family

Posted

To the Editor:

Tonight, we gather again for our tree lighting ceremony.

This year will be virtual, as nearly all of our activities have been, for what seems like forever, and we thank all of those who volunteered their time and skill in making this happen. This was a complicated and new process, and all of the hard work epitomizes the volunteer spirit in Pittsboro.

We remember those that have died during the pandemic, and those who are still fighting the virus, and those who risk their own health, caring for the sick and dying with compassion and love.

Lights, like those on our tree, are an integral part of major celebrations around the world.

Hindus celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.

Muslims celebrate Ramadan with lit lanterns.

Buddhists celebrate Makha Bucha with a massive lamp lighting ceremony.

Soon, Kwanzaa will be celebrated, and Hanukkah will be celebrated, and their lights will shine with all the others.

All of these lights inform us and teach us and remind us that we are all family. I think they will shine all the more brightly in this dark year.

Tonight, we will add the lights of our Christmas tree to the lights shining brightly around the world, to bring us hope and love and remind us that we are all one big family. We squabble and quarrel, but we are still one family.

As we look out across the battlefields of war, race, religion, “the other,” the haves and the have nots, climate change, and politics, we can all choose to see the faces of members of our human family that we love. As Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not.”

May the lights from our tree give us all hope and joy in this festive season!

Jim Nass, who is the mayor of Pittsboro, shared these remarks at Pittsboro’s virtual Christmas tree lighting on Nov. 22.