There are moments when it feels as though our communities — and perhaps even our democracy itself — are beginning to unravel. Conversations that once took place around kitchen tables or over coffee now unfold in the public square of social media, where speed often triumphs over reflection (and truth), outrage over understanding, and certainty over curiosity. Every day we are confronted with a barrage of opinions, propaganda, accusations, half-truths, and whole (sweet-sounding) lies, each demanding our allegiance and our outrage.
In this moment in history, perhaps the greatest challenge is not deciding what to think but learning how to think. Wisdom requires discernment. It asks us to resist being swept away by every sensational headline, every inflammatory post, or every emotionally charged claim. It reminds us that disagreement is not a threat to be feared, nor is it an invitation to attack and/or dehumanize those who see the world differently. A healthy society depends not on uniformity of opinion but on the ability of people to disagree without forgetting one another’s humanity.
Before speaking, it is worth asking ourselves a few honest questions. What is my purpose? Am I trying to understand, or simply to win? Am I contributing something that builds trust and strengthens my community, or am I adding to the noise and division? Do I want a better future for all of us, or do I simply want the satisfaction of proving someone else wrong?
Let me remind us all: words have consequences. They can deepen wounds, or they can begin to heal them. They can reinforce suspicion, or they can help foster understanding. They can harden divisions that linger for generations, or they can become the first step toward rebuilding trust and community. While truth matters deeply, the manner in which we communicate it matters just as much. Truth delivered with contempt rarely changes hearts. Truth offered with humility, compassion, and a genuine willingness to listen has the power to transform relationships.
The strength of any community is found not in unanimous agreement but in its capacity to remain connected through civil disagreement. That requires patience, empathy, and the willingness to see another person as more than a stereotype, more than a political label, or more than a social media profile. Community calls us to assume good intentions when possible, to ask questions before making accusations, and to remember that every person carries experiences and struggles we may never fully understand.
This being said, if you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you may have noted pushback in regard to deleting and/or blocking posts/accounts from the Homestake Opera House sites. So, let me be clear: we reserve the right to remove comments that are outside the scope of respectful public discourse. We will not tolerate inflammatory language, hate speech, misinformation, or discrimination, and we reserve the right to ban/block at our discretion. Does this mean we lack transparency? No. This means will will not tolerate discriminatory and hateful conduct. Such conduct will be reported, and such individuals will be blocked.
Perhaps what our community (and our world) needs most is not louder voices but wiser ones. We need more listeners than screamers, more curiosity than certainty, more patience than outrage, and more grace than condescension. We may not always change another person’s mind, but we can always choose the manner in which we engage them. In doing so, we help create communities where differences need not become divisions and where respect is stronger than resentment.
The future of our neighborhoods, our city, our institutions, and our democracy depends not only on what we believe, but on how we choose to live together and speak to one another. We can (and must) do better!
Todd Jones
Executive Director
Historic Homestake Opera House
