We are afraid these days, afraid of terror, afraid of gas prices, afraid our jobs will go away. We must use reason, not fear to deal with our lives. Our world is complex. Problems do not have easy solutions. There are many perspectives to every issue.

It is important to take the time to understand the issues of our day. For instance, the energy crisis is not simply a matter of the supply by foreign sources; it is also our misuse of the product. It affects our food costs because we don’t source our food locally; it affects our gas prices because of tax laws. I am being overly simplistic. Therefore, the cure for our ills is more than offshore drilling, inflating our tires and wind energy. It is all of these and more.

When we try to solve a problem in a sound bite, we short-change our ability to resolve long term issues. We have a tendency in this country to want to solve a problem immediately, and if we don’t, we declare ourselves a failure.

When we speak of politics this year we have the opportunity to look at the issues in depth. Instead of considering the 15-second commercial, insist that we hold reasonable, honest discussions about alternatives, knowing there are many parts to a solution, not just one.

Instead of being afraid of different ideas, let us be creative and inclusive in our attempts to resolve issues. Let us be ruled by love, reason and commitment, not fear.

Rev. Becky Gunn

Hampden