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To the Editor:

Do you want to be part of a community or a cause?

This past Monday, I was scrolling through Facebook.  I ran across a post on Neighbors and Friends from several hours earlier from what I think was a young mom wishing everyone a “Happy Columbus Day” and asking for ideas of things to do with her kids for the off school day.

I admit when I saw the reference to Columbus Day, I worried what the reaction would be. Even Governor Lamont in his post that day used both “Indigenous Peoples” and “Columbus” in wishing everyone well while posting a detailed history on the origins of Columbus Day. He did this knowing that there is a large cultural divide on top of any political divide with respect to this holiday.

My concerns for the post were well founded.

The thread decompensated into arguments about what the day should rightfully be called, criticisms of the original poster about her parenting skills and of her “audacity” at calling the term and of course, politics.

She was tried, convicted and hung more times than I could count in that thread. Others who offered opposing opinions were too.  Mercifully, the thread was taken down (at least I can no longer find it) and life in West Hartford (and on Neighbors and Friends) moved on.

West Hartford is a community of approximately 64,000 people. We are fortunate that we are a thriving community offering incredible diversity and character. At last count, I believe nearly 70 languages are spoken here in town and our schools educate children from around 40 different countries.

But the only language that was common on that thread was one of judgement and isolationism.

West Hartford, we can and must do better! Over the last 60 days, I’ve learned firsthand how fraught and divided our nation and our community is. I’ve asked this question several times of several people:

“Are we a community or are we a cause?”

If you view life in West Hartford through the prism of only activism, pearl clutching, and outrage and you just HAVE TO criticize, I challenge you to do better. It’s OK for angry voices to hold silent sometimes.

These people you are critiquing are your friends, they are your neighbors, they are your children’s friends, they are your community leaders, they are your disabled, they are your small business owners, they are your needy, they are your family.

And they are your kids, learning from your example.

I think we are a community, not a cause. I’ve tried to teach my kids that and lead by example. I hope West Hartford can keep remembering even as others perhaps do not.

John Lyons

(John Lyons is a Republican candidate running for election to the West Hartford Town Council.)