I have not made a New Year’s Resolution for many years: but I feel that I must make one now.
Consequently, for the year 2021 I resolve to adopt the lesson Prime Minister Trudeau gave to Donald Trump recently, when he reminded him that words have consequences.
This resolution to be mindful of my thoughts and careful of my choice of words involves much more than the obvious. It demands that I recall what I was taught at my mother’s knee – that it is wrong to tell lies, and that we must treat everyone with kindness, tolerance and respect.
Four years ago, Donald Trump began to lead us away from those principles, and like a global plague, we are at the point now where we do not even know who to trust. Many act like civility and common courtesy are no longer necessary. We even question the need for the basic tenets which have governed our society for centuries – to the point where many have forgotten that the rules of democracy apply to all, without exception.
I believe it will take much longer than four years to successfully redirect what is now much of the world’s wayward course, but it won’t happen if we don’t try.
So, I will do my best to remember that words have consequences.
Donna Stinson, Red Deer