I was delighted to have been afforded the opportunity to witness democracy in action this past Saturday, Jan. 23, when the Goshen County Republican Party hosted a Town Hall Meeting at The Bucking Horse Grill south of Torrington.

The meeting was conducted professionally and courteously, even when people disagreed with one another. Some participants of the event spoke more than others while the rest listened attentively; several people even took notes on what was being discussed. 

I was elated to know some people still care about what is going on in their government and are willing to get involved. I often hear people say they don’t care about what is going on in their government because there is nothing they can do to change anything.

That is absolutely false.

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams.

The actions taken by people today will define tomorrow. Many people would probably be surprised to find out that others agree with them and want things to change. Alternatively, people can hear different perspectives and may end up changing their minds on something they only see from the purview of their viewpoint.

Unfortunately, we face several challenges when it comes to the exchange of ideas in today’s world. Our nation is very divided and damaged. This divisiveness and damage has caused people to separate and build walls. We must tear down these walls if we are to move forward. 

Goshen County Republican Chairman Kirk Haas brought up an excellent point at the town hall meeting. Nearly everyone has Facebook and uses social media in this day and age, and many people do not have face-to-face social interactions as a result. This brings about a couple of issues: people don’t want to have in-person social interactions and there exists a severe lack of responsible and respectful conversations.

 The name-calling, degrading comments and discourtesy have got to stop. Productive communication immediately ceases when this type of language is introduced. We as a people must overcome this constant barraging and attacks on one another; it’s unacceptable and should not be tolerated by anyone.

Americans have long been known for standing up for what is right, not what is easy. However, it seems as though many Americans today are lazy and unwilling to stand up. Now is not the time to sit back and watch what happens; now is the time to step up and engage.

Be proactive. If communities across the state and nation can learn to have peaceful, productive conversations with each other, there won’t be any future opportunities for outrage. When people start working together to resolve the issues facing their communities, states and country, they will find the problems they were once facing no longer exist.

Take the time to get to know your neighbors. Spend time engaging with your fellow citizens and learning what they are concerned about. In my time as a law enforcement officer, I was constantly faced with adversity and hardships. It always amazed me to learn what was bothering people. Sometimes it was a simple matter that could be resolved in a matter of minutes, other times it was a more complex issue that required hours of dedicated service to address the issue. Taking that time to talk to people was what allowed me to resolve many of the issues faced by the people I served. Taking that time to talk to your neighbors, community representatives and elected officials is the first step to redress the many issues our communities are facing.