To the editor,
In the Aug. 29 edition of the Citizen’s News, the article “Vandals strike at complex” tells of an incredibly disgusting act of disrespect, disregard and dishonor directed at the Beacon Falls community. In the article, our government officials step forward with a plan to respond to this event. With all due respect, their plan, to add increased security, via cameras, lights and additional patrols, does very little to solve the problem. Unfortunately this is the type of response that the American public expects from the government, which can be observed often in our communities, on the local and national level.
The thing is, government, as it stands, was never intended to solve problems. A government is a body of individuals, which in America is supposed to be made up of the people it governs, and this body is charged with putting in place a structure, a functional foundation in which the people governed are supposed to add the walls, windows and doors, breathing the life into the community.
On occasion, an event like this occurs and immediately we expect the government to step in and solve the problem, usually by adding locks, laws and limitations on the good people in the community in order to keep those who commit the wrongful acts at bay. We as a people need to move away from this mindset. We as a people need to solve our own problems. We need to work together as a community, help our neighbors, be each other’s support group, and implement practices within our community which will prevent these events from occurring. Such practices include, teaching our children respect and responsibility, and providing them with a sense of community. In addition, as adults we need to set better examples, we are a small town with small town problems, however even these can have big impacts on the individuals within our community.
The fact is, you can lock every door, you can add any rule or law, but if someone is bent on committing an unlawful act, there is nothing that can stop them. The key is to educate and instill the genuine principles within each member of the community so that they do not desire to commit such atrocities.
I am certain some will question the strength of the tone in my response to this, especially since no one was hurt during this specific act. However I would disagree. First, such acts have a real financial impact. Second, if we go so far as to adding limitations to the use of these fields and facilities the people of this town will be hurt, not physically, but it will weaken the communal bond that exists, which will have a longer lasting impact on the Town of Beacon Falls.
Michael Opuszynski
Beacon Falls
