Bringing Back the Heart of Our Community: Choosing Peace and Kindness Over Division

By: Rebecca Witherspoon, April 13, 2025

My village is hurting. What once felt like a safe, welcoming place has become strained by tension, distrust, and fear. Recent political division has taken root in my community so that many feel like they are walking on eggshells, avoiding conversations, and wondering what happened to the sense of togetherness we once cherished. Many of us are now wondering how we got here and how we can bring back the harmony that made our community special.

This isn’t who we are. And it certainly isn’t who we want to be.

It’s time to heal. To come back to what matters most—each other. Because no matter our differences, we all want a community that is safe, supportive, and kind. That’s not just possible—it’s within reach. But it begins with each one of us.

The inability of some to engage in respectful dialogue has quietly (and not so quietly) eroded our sense of unity. What used to be healthy disagreement has become something far more toxic: intimidation, silencing, and public shaming.

One heartbreaking example is how some residents have felt intimidated into silence because a few very loud voices chose to publicly attack anyone who dared to express a different opinion. When some choose to shut down meaningful conversation with name-calling, public shaming, and smear campaigns, fear takes the place of connection.

Another troubling example involved someone slashing the tires of a local resident’s car while it sat in their driveway—an act of cowardice and intimidation that crosses a line no community should tolerate, regardless of political stance.

We’ve also recently seen people hiding behind fake social media profiles to spread false rumors and maliciously smear their neighbors, using anonymity as a shield to avoid accountability while causing real harm to real people.

And perhaps most damaging of all is when a professional uses their position of influence to publicly humiliate someone, turning a role meant for service into a platform for personal attacks.

These actions don’t just harm individuals—they unravel the fabric of our community. They replace trust with suspicion, kindness with cruelty, and unity with fear. And unless we choose a different path, the damage will only deepen.

We’re losing more than civility—we’re losing connection. We’re losing the ease of waving to a neighbor without wondering where they stand or whether we’re being judged. We’re losing the ability to come together around shared goals because we’ve allowed ourselves to be divided by personal beliefs. We’re losing the safety of community. And without safety, there can be no true unity.

But here’s the good news: we can rebuild what’s been lost.

The way back isn’t through louder arguments or more dramatic displays. It’s through listening. Through kindness.Through remembering that peace starts with people—not politics.

We must allow space for others’ perspectives, even when we disagree. Not everything is black and white. Most of us live in the grey—in that middle ground where real conversations can happen and common ground can be found.

We’re not as divided as some think. We all want safety. We all want fairness. We all want to raise our children in a place where they feel supported and valued. These are the shared values we must return to.

Here are a few simple, but powerful ways we can start to heal. Create safe spaces where people can share and be heard without fear. No slogans, no debates—just people reconnecting on a human level. Treat others with dignity, even when you disagree. Leave a kind note. Send a card. Smile at someone new. Do a random act of kindness for someone you don’t know or even someone with whom you don’t always agree. And above all, lead by example and choose grace over grudges, peace over pettiness, and respect over retaliation.

Just say no to the fringe extremes! Let’s be the generation that stops the cycle. Let’s be the neighbors that say, “enough is enough—we choose peace.”

Imagine what could happen if we each took a personal pledge to strive for unity, kindness, and understanding. Let’s start something simple but powerful. A movement. A vow. A shift back to center—back to humanity. Encourage others to join. Share stories of kindness. Celebrate moments of forgiveness. Words are powerful. They can speak life or death. Speak LIFE  back into this community again.

We’re not defined by what’s divided us—we are shaped by what we choose to do next.

This is our moment to turn the tide. To rebuild trust. To restore peace. To bring back the heart of our village, one act of love at a time.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about who’s right or wrong. It’s about remembering that we’re in this together.

Let’s love our neighbors.

Let’s be kind to our neighbors.

Let’s choose peace with our neighbors.