Letter: Monuments can help us learn from mistakes
Our Friday morning men’s Bible group was discussing the book of Joshua. As the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land, they were instructed to gather twelve stones from the river and erect a monument at that site, so that future generations could remember the events of that day.
One of the men in the group compared that to how many among us disparage our monuments today. Should we destroy the University of Virginia because Thomas Jefferson owned slaves? Monuments, to me, neither celebrate nor denigrate the event nor person, but they are reminders of actions and individuals that have helped shape our lives to this point.
You may agree or not, feel pride or shame; but you cannot alter the past. We can, however, affect our future, but only if we know and understand past circumstances. So if you despise that statue or name, remember why, and make a promise to leave the world a little better. Just be sure you leave that reminder in place so others have an equal opportunity at their chance to make our world a bit kinder.
Gabe Lyons, Richland
This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Letter: Monuments can help us learn from mistakes."