Freedom to disagree comes with duty to understand
At a time when so many of our colleges are seriously struggling to meet the challenges involved in honoring and clarifying the right to free speech, to assemble and to protest, Karin Ryan’s May 2 guest essay,“Human rights must be universal,” brought to mind the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi. Regarding the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Gandhi stated, “All rights to be preserved and deserved come from duty well done.... From this ... perhaps it is easy enough to define the duties of man and woman and correlate every right to some duty to be performed. Every other right can be shown to be a usurpation hardly worth fighting for.”
We can only imagine how different things would be right now on our college campuses and elsewhere if those insistent on exercising certain rights also felt the duty to genuinely understand the people with whom they disagree. It seems that realizing the peace that Ryan rightfully extolled requires nothing less from all of us.
SANJAY LAL, STOCKBRIDGE
Biden shows no leadership over college protests
Strong leaders do not play both sides of an issue against each other or try to maximize the support of both sides. The lack of leadership, action or explanation of position from the Biden administration is all too apparent and is of major concern to our country and voters as “creeping socialism” continues to inch forward and change our style of life — whether you are a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican.
There is no leadership coming from Biden and crew, and the media seems stuck in its position of what to support and how to present it.
It’s sad that “talking heads” seem to rule the day for America and not our president.
RUSSELL ARMER, WOODSTOCK
