Readers write: Prioritizing options, difference-makers
Letters to the editor for the Aug. 21, 2017 weekly magazine.
A Netflix DVD envelope and Netflix on-screen television menu are shown in Surfside, Fla. on Oct. 1, 2011.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Prioritizing options
Robert Klose’s July 3 Home Forum essay, “We waited, and it was worth it,” rightfully pointed out that people have lost the pleasure of anticipation because so much is instantaneously available. I would add that this “on demand” culture has caused stress that many people are not aware of. Since almost everything can be done right now, we must be constantly prioritizing our options. We are inundated with demands for our time and attention, and because we can’t possibly do everything simultaneously, we are always falling behind.
Mr. Klose wisely created his own anticipation by making lemonade from scratch. I get Netflix DVDs through the mail and the DVD sits around until there is a convenient time to watch it. I turn off notifications on my apps. I decide when to check apps; I don’t let them govern me. And when I sit on my balcony to enjoy nature, I may take out my print copy of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly, but I leave all electronics in the house. We have to create our peaceful spaces in this world.
Suzanne B. Soule
South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Difference-makers
I am a longtime subscriber to The Christian Science Monitor. I jokingly tell my friends that I read it “religiously” (I am not a Christian Scientist). I look forward to each week’s issue, knowing that I will enjoy some articles more than others.
But the June 12 issue was the zenith of what you do so well. Each article was informative and many were inspiring. And if I were to give each issue a theme, this one would be “people making a difference.” I read of a Thai woman turning her prison experience into a mission to improve prison conditions for other women. I learned more about Martin Luther King Jr.’s efforts to improve the circumstances of sanitation workers in Memphis. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg shared his optimism on America’s efforts to minimize climate change in a Q-and-A on his new book. And Marjorie Kehe, in her Home Forum essay, brought me to tears recalling how her father inspired her to travel and live life more fully.
Rusty Wyrick
Ghivizzano, Italy