Our Shared Obligations, An Op-Ed By Representative Day

Following is an op-ed by Representative Michael Day regarding our shared obligation to promote kindness and tolerance.

“We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” Those are the closing lines to our Declaration of Independence. In addition to other truths, it was also self-evident to the signers that their bold experiment in self-governance would only work with the assent and active participation of all reaches of this new American society.

Government of the people, for the people and by the people, it turns out is complicated and messy but also wildly successful. While we have amended and struggled with our system of governance, we have constantly reaffirmed those sacred mutual pledges first made in 1776 that let us know we are all in this grand experiment together. Time and again, our country has emerged from periods of strife to eventually arrive at a better place by moving towards laws and policies based on inclusion. Through fits and starts, the American people have overcome internal divisions and have proven that America’s appreciation and protection of its diversity of thought and culture is truly what separates us from the rest of the world.

This past June, I participated in two religious ceremonies that brought that truth home to me in very poignant ways. One was an Iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break their daily Ramadan fast at sunset; the other was a Catholic funeral. Both ceremonies were a celebration of life, kindness and community, and both reaffirmed that the way forward is through a concerted effort to include different groups and opinions in our everyday lives.

At the Civic and Interfaith Leaders’ Iftar hosted at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, I watched evening Muslim prayers before sharing dinner with about 100 individuals who ascribed to many different faiths and beliefs. I knew only three people in the room prior to entering it, but emerged from the meal bonded with the others by a palpable sense of community. The words offered by Shaykh Yasir Fahmy, the Senior Imam at the Islamic Society of Boston, focused on our communal obligations and they resonated deeply with me.

He used a simple but powerful allegory to underscore the responsibility we all have as Americans towards one another. An injury to your hand, Shaykh Fahmy said, may not be fatal, but you cannot simply ignore the injury and still hope to lead a full life. Just as a hand is part of an individual’s body, so are too are minority groups all parts of our community, and we cannot ignore injuries visited upon them if we hope to continue to live in a free and beneficial society. Shaykh Fahmy closed by sharing a tenet of the Muslim faith, which holds that God’s most beloved people are those that bring the most benefit to other people.

A few weeks later, my friend and neighbor Joe Connolly passed away. Joe had dedicated ten years of his life as a Catholic priest before leaving to marry his beloved wife Betty. He then worked as a Probation Officer for 34 years while he and Betty raised four children. I always knew Joe to be a pillar of the community, but the simple words offered by his friend during the homily brought home to me just how much of an impact this one man had on making our country a better place. Joe, it was said, always had space for others in his life, and anyone was welcome to join that space no matter their background or beliefs.

Joe Connolly understood and embraced his communal obligations. He dedicated his life to supporting others, to helping others no matter what their station in life happened to be. He led a righteous life, to be sure, and one that used kindness – simple kindness – to bring benefits to other people.

During the parade and cookout and fireworks I enjoyed on the 4th of July with my wife and sons, I took a moment to reflect on how fortunate I am to live in this community and in this country. I thought of the words of Shaykh Fahmy and of the life of Joe Connolly, and I appreciated that the advantages my family enjoys are directly attributable to the selfless deeds of others. I also appreciated that if our system of self-government is going to persevere, there can be no free riders. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to remain vigilant and vocal when laws are proposed that would injure or ignore harms being caused to members of our community. I hope that each and every one of us also recognizes how far simple tolerance and kindness to others go towards a more perfect and just society.