Be like tired Jesus, reconsider, and expand your empathy.

I suggest Union Township get an exterior, enclosed community board and put it next to your office entrance.

Please remember this Substack is where Empathy Surplus Network USA Zoom forum members can post how they apply cognitive science from George Lakoff to their moral and political discourse. It’s a place for members to demonstrate how they apply the S.H.O.E.S. principle in cultivating empathy. S-Show up with empathy. H-Offer to help with empathy. O-Organize around empathy. E - Educate about empathy. S-Start over each day.

This is the third open letter to my Union Township Trustees, Wilmington, Ohio. We didn’t stay for the entire meeting but delivered two reports concerning our Humanitarian Empathy for Ukraine and Ohio Fundraiser: [a] local empathy participation report and [b] how funds are used in Ukraine. We are encouraging the Trustees to help us promote empathy for the people of war-torn Ukraine and local 501c3 organizations.

Union Township Community Building, Wilmington, Ohio, with a local Kiwanis Fundraiser on the right. I love Kiwanis International because of my Kiwanis Key Club experience in high school in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Dear Union Township Trustees,

Hopeful Thursday. Pro-empathy voters in and out of office strengthen democracy, nurturing families, ethical businesses, caring society, and townships. Empathy encourages community cooperation in service to protecting and empowering others nearby and far away. Empathy for one another, a foundational human rights value, is a trust that caring citizens protect and promote together. When we’re effective, people can lead fulfilling lives and be assured they’re treated fairly. 

Empathy improves local public government

I appreciate all your hard work that benefits the public, making yourself available day or night to keep our roads safe. That takes a commitment to empathy for and responsibility to township residents, who depend on you to keep us safe. Nevertheless, despite one of your trustees being “fed up with my empathy,” my request deserves your empathy because we are no better or worse than Kiwanis. Empathy is not about whether you like me but a duty in our Constitutional government to which you swore an oath.

Even Jesus got tired and forgot empathy

I’m reminded of Scripture, Mark 7:24-30¹ and Matthew 15:21-28² when Jesus was on vacation in Tyre and didn’t want to be disturbed. Nevertheless, despite being called a dog by Jesus for interrupting him, the Syrophoenician woman insisted that Jesus exercise some empathy for her and heal her daughter. Be like tired Jesus, reconsider, and get more empathy. You have empathy for Kiwanis and encouraged their fundraiser. If you will, you can expand your empathy for Wilmington’s Sister City, local 501c3s, and our Humanitarian Empathy for Ukraine and 501c3s Fundraiser.

Consider cultivating public empathy

I suggest you get an exterior, enclosed community board³ and put it next to your entrance. There you could display notices important to your township residents, like the enclosed Ukrainian flag. Skyline and Mediterranean Restaurants have community boards. You could too. Expand your empathy.

Pro-empathy freedom voters in and out of office are the solution,

Chuck Watts

1. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%207%3A24-30&version=NIV

2. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2015%3A21-28&version=NIV

3. https://www.amazon.com/EVERSUPPLY-Enclosed-Bulletin-Noticeboard-Weather-Resistant/dp/B0BHYPLTXN/ref=sr_1_5?crid=17EE5791TAD8O&keywords=enclosed+outdoor+bulletin+board+with+locking+door&qid=1691092343&sprefix=enclosed+outdoor+bull%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-5