I would like to extend a heartfelt fist-bump to Jordan Foltz and the Mountain Xpress for last week’s spirituality issue and cover story [“Sacred Activism,” Dec. 25 Xpress]. This topic could have easily been rendered a fluff piece; instead, it offered meaningful perspectives with salient implications for how to achieve self-fulfillment through compassionate activism. The article was uplifting without betraying any naïve optimism, and it was particularly lovely to see a handful of familiar figures recognized for the tough, tireless work they do for the well-being of our communities and our state.
On a personal note, I have recently wrestled with my own decision to accept potential criminal convictions on my permanent record for several charges stemming from my involvement at one of the Moral Monday demonstrations this summer, in lieu of a plea bargain. Your coverage validated why I (along with hundreds of fellow protesters) made this seemingly impractical choice: for “something they believe they hold onto within themselves that is untouchable, that they will hold onto regardless of the risks they take here and now.”
Thank you for articulating this inner wisdom, and for an overall thought-and-conversation-provoking note to end the year upon.
— Laura Eshelman
Asheville
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