Hanson letter: Refugees
The hot topic filling up my social media feed is the Syrian refugee crisis. I personally had been against allowing these refugees into our country. However, a discussion in my English class at school and the effects it had on a fellow classmate, who is a refugee herself, gave me a more up-close view of the situation and the real-life ramifications. The issue at hand became very real suddenly and the situation left me second-guessing myself. I’m not here to argue the issue. I am here to argue that we not lose our own humanity as we talk about a very real plight of these fellow human beings or any issue. The most important thing I think we can learn from this situation is to not lose our sense of decency in the process. I hope we can agree to disagree and do so peacefully. I’ve watched friends fight over this issue and others like it and it hurts my heart. We can each stand firmly where we are planted in our opinions and yet do so with grace, dignity and decency.
Sally Hanson, Boise
This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 12:19 AM with the headline "Hanson letter: Refugees."