Dear future reader,
It's a rare and cool August day as we type this letter. For you, we'd imagine it's probably a chilly day on Jan. 21. Of course, Arkansas has been known to throw in a spring-like day once in a while mid-winter, so you never know.
Your president was just sworn in yesterday, so we thought a letter on the next few years would be prudent. We can't know who you swore in yesterday any more than we can know how Arkansas fared against Georgia/Florida/Bama/LSU during fall. But we can only imagine the Hawgs went 4-0 against them. Or maybe more realistically, 3-1. Because of a bad call in one game, certainly.
Now then, future reader, whether you've just sworn in President Trump for a second term, President Joe Biden for a first term, or even President Jo Jorgensen in a historic upset, our message to you from the past remains the same: Be best. Or at least be better.
When Melania Trump came up with "be best," some of us were all-in with her. An anti-bullying campaign is a worthy cause if we've ever heard one. That is our wish for you in the future, and for all Americans: that you look at how hateful some in this nation have become over the last few years and do everything in your power to make things different.
We were appalled back in August when a former congressional candidate/conspiracy theorist/Twitter troll named DeAnna Lorraine tweeted what she must've thought was a funny joke, but it went sideways quick. Back during the chaotic summer of 2020, the nation's top epidemiologist said he'd received death threats and his daughters had been harassed--all because he did his job. Protests in several cities went from peaceful to arson/assault/looting.
So we want us to do better, future reader. And it doesn't have to be some giant gesture or rallying thousands into the streets. We the People can change everything around us by simply injecting more kindness into the world. As a wise man once said, "I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."
We're counting on you to make sure 2020 remains a one-off. Nobody can't solve all the world's problems in one day, but there is no shame in slaying one dragon at a time. No matter who is president in your day, let's put the worst of 2020 behind us. And that's a lot of "worst."
Look forward to meeting you in a few months.
Sincerely,
The eds