I think I mentioned in my first president’s letter two years ago that, prior to moving to Beacon Hill, I didn’t give much thought to the concept of community. Now it’s almost a preoccupation. What can we do to make people feel more connected to their neighbors? I don’t think one could overstate how important that sense of connection is. It increases our happiness and well-being in good times. But, more importantly, it helps us through the disagreements and bad times. Simply feeling connected to our neighbors doesn’t mean we’ll like all of them or always get along. But it does remind us that we need to work through those obstacles for the sake of something larger than our individual opinions. Right now we dearly need to remember that, despite differing opinions, we are all part of the same neighborhood, city, state, and country.
- Daniel Hubbeling