Truro Tempers
To the editor:
Off-season Cape Cod has always been my favorite time. People wave to each other on the roads, the traffic lessens, and the pace of things is slower and quieter.
We all face the dislocations, restrictions, and worries that the virus has brought. This past week we also witnessed mob violence invading the U.S. Capitol. After a grim week, I did not expect a trip to the Truro Post Office to resemble the stampede at the Capitol. While the crowded, tiny post office always requires patience, it is mostly a convivial space.
This past Saturday, though, people mobbed the P.O. right before closing time. Tempers flared. People jammed the door to get to their boxes, including one man without a mask who just barged ahead, brushing against the people exiting. A brave woman calmly tried to say there were too many people crowded in the lobby waiting for packages in addition to a steady stream of people checking their boxes. For safety, she suggested that we could all just wait outside for a few minutes.
The woman was confronted by an angry, cocky, well-dressed man leaving with his mail in hand. He stopped to yell that she had no right or authority to tell people what to do and should just “shut up!” His disdain for women seemed clear. Some people did leave and formed a line outside; others said it was too cold to wait outdoors.
I would love to be able to go to the post office and not feel afraid. In order to not endanger our collective health and well-being, let’s wear warm clothes to the P.O. and make the best of the wait in lines. If it were allowed, I would set up a free hot cider and hot chocolate stand.
Karen Tice
Truro and Lexington, Ky.
Sad Events
To the editor:
I am saddened by the events of last week at the Capitol. As children of the men and women of the greatest generation, who stepped up on Dec. 7, 1941, we appreciate daily their legacy.
How would those children of the Great Depression, who experienced so much hardship and made sacrifices during World War II, have felt watching these events? They struggled to create the country that these ungrateful rioters have benefited from, with no idea what was done for them.
Paul Mendes
Provincetown
The writer served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam.
Remember Who We Are
To the editor:
Dennis Minsky asks, “Can we find the courage to enter into dialogue with them?” that is, the guys with the MAGA hats [“The Bradford Street Wave,” Jan. 7, page 3].
My nephew, whom I love, walks on the other side of our now vast-seeming political divide. After Wednesday’s events, I texted: “I dreamed about you last night. I’m wondering if you’re hangin’ with the Proud Boys.”
“Ha ha,” he said. “No, I don’t get involved with all that.” His allegiance to the president stems from his idea that Trump would protect his guns, which he believes he needs to defend his family.
He sent a cartoon of two figures, arguing from opposite sides, about whether that was a 6 or a 9 on the sidewalk — a matter of perspective. He does not want anyone to try to convince him of anything. He wants to be respected for what he has learned from his experiences.
While we make choices from experience, not everything is based on perspective. There are facts, including children going hungry in the U.S. and 4,000 dead in one day from Covid-19. Democracy works only when its constituents are informed.
Psychiatrist Dan Siegel, primatologist Frans de Waal, and anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy are among scholars weaving a grounded narrative suggesting the evolutionary roots of mutual understanding. It was not so much through violence that our brains evolved, they say, but from the necessity of looking out for one another. Our species is driven by the aptitude for compassion, with the added capacity for sorting complex relationships beneficially.
We stood at the Eastham Green after immigrant children were detained at the border. Those were our children. And George Floyd was our neighbor. The urgency to care for and protect each other is a crucial part of our human story. We must remember who we are.
Deborah Ullman
Eastham
A Personal Note
To the editor:
My mom died a few weeks ago. She was an integral part of our community.
There was an outpouring of love from her friends. We had a shiva service around our firepit in our back yard, with 20 of her closest friends. Socially distanced, no hugging, just the prayer and memories.
That night, I sat down and started to write notes of gratitude to those who attended, those who sent cards, and those who sent emails and Facebook condolences. There are many. I do only a few a day and it helps my grieving process. A personal note has become very important to me.
Heidi Daniels is right, especially in these times of Covid [“The Art of the Handwritten Thank You,” Jan. 7, page 14]. It is a way to touch your peeps in a meaningful way. Notes heal and let people know that you are grateful.
Deborah Magee
Wellfleet
Small but Mighty
To the editor:
Re “Covid Halts Wellfleet’s MLK Walk” [Jan. 7, page 1]: The Martin Luther King Day walk has not exactly been halted; it has been transformed. WalKING meditations will be happening in more places than ever before. The celebration isn’t exactly “virtual.” It is going DIY. How much happens online and how much happens far from digital screens is up to each participant.
Though there will be important online resources and opportunities (see Wellfleet Preservation Hall’s website), we can neither walk nor meditate virtually. The walk will go wherever individual walkers and small-but-mighty groups take it –– anytime between now and the day after the inauguration, Jan. 21.
Harriet Jerusha Korim
Wellfleet
A Feel for the Crew
To the editor:
As an admiralty lawyer for 29 years (and part-time Truro resident for four), I say to Ms. de La Bruyère, great piece [“Crabbing the Muck on the Codfish II,” Jan. 7, page 4].
There’s no substitute for being aboard ship to get a feel for what a vessel’s business and its crew are about. Thanks for investing the time and effort.
Frederick B. Goldsmith
Pittsburgh and Truro
At Peace With Uncertainty
To the editor:
Some of the most thoughtful conversations happen at the Wellfleet transfer station.
I was talking with an acquaintance about family life during these times of Covid. He shared a few examples about living with two teens, and I shared some stories about my past nine months living with two 30-something children. We are never too old to learn something new about ourselves through our relationships with our kids (and others). Mine always give me a new opportunity to grow as a more evolved person.
These days, it’s all about accepting the challenges of letting go of control, trusting others with my well-being, and the serenity to live and be at peace with the uncertainty of other’s behaviors when out of my sight.
David Agger
Wellfleet
