海角大神

Kneeling to protest

I have always supported Colin Kaepernick鈥檚 kneeling protest during the national anthem before NFL games. But it was not until I read Harry Bruinius鈥� excellent article 鈥淭he promise 鈥� and limits 鈥� of police taking a knee鈥� in the June 22 Monitor Weekly that I remembered Mr. Kaepernick began his protests by sitting down during the anthem. 聽

Nor was I previously aware that Mr. Kaepernick began taking a knee after being told by a military veteran that it would be a more respectful form of protest.聽After reading Mr. Bruinius鈥� article, I can鈥檛 help but wonder where the United States 鈥� and our world 鈥� might be today had the message of Mr. Kaepernick鈥檚 protest been understood more generally and deeply, before recent events brought it so powerfully into the national consciousness.

Alan Willis
Portland, Oregon

Relief from the news

I have heard and read too much about COVID-19 lately, so I鈥檓 a little behind in reading my subscription of the Monitor.聽But when I picked up the June 1 issue, I was happy to find that many stories held my interest. The article 鈥溾�業n each other鈥檚 shadows鈥�: Irish outpouring of relief for Navajo鈥� by Harry Bruinius was so inspiring and heartwarming, as was the element of forgiveness in the cover story, 鈥淗ow a crisis spurs reconciliation,鈥� by Stephen Humphries.聽

And I enjoyed reading 鈥淐reativity: Abundance and scarcity in a crisis,鈥� by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, which explored how people are coping with isolation in a productive way. I published a novel when I was 80 years old, and now at 85 I find myself writing again in my time alone. I look forward to reading your movie and book reviews. Keep up the good work.

Ann D. Stearns
Rochester, New Hampshire

Trump and the virus

I was surprised that Muriel Horacek鈥檚 letter, titled 鈥淰iews of Trump鈥� in the July 6 & 13 Monitor Weekly, failed to mention how President Donald Trump鈥檚 behavior has contributed to prolonging the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

From early on he did not wear a face mask, he minimized the potency of the virus, and he encouraged large gatherings of people in close proximity without requiring masks 鈥� against the strong advice of most pandemic experts. I believe that if he had behaved in a different way, there is a good chance that we would be well on our way to normalcy by now.

I too am a grandmother, and I share Ms. Horacek鈥檚 concern about folks being out of work. However, Mr. Trump鈥檚 behavior and handling of the crisis have not worked to relieve that issue in any practical, cohesive way.

Camille A. Dull
Lakewood, California

Rejecting materiality

Thank you for the excellent editorial 鈥淐hina drops a key material standard鈥� in the June 15 Monitor Weekly, which discussed China鈥檚 move away from using its gross domestic product to measure economic power, and why it means the country may be rethinking its practice of gauging success by material standards.

This is something we all have to learn 鈥� too often the hard way. In 鈥淪cience and Health with Key to the Scriptures,鈥� the founder of the Monitor, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote, 鈥淢aterialistic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final combat.鈥澛燗 war of ideas sure beats a cold war. To Mrs. Eddy, the metaphysical foundation of all reality and success was a no-brainer.

Kelly Brother
Memphis, Tennessee