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Community Corner

The Written Word

Thesaurus Legend has explained that the written word stand for something that stands for something. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/written+word)

 

Reading the various speak out pieces and the comments that have been on Stoneham Patch these past few days has been at times great, dis-heartening, and aggravating on the upcoming contest for Selectman.  It was also sad to see the Face Book page of the Friends of Stoneham removed of which I was a major contributor. 

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I am proud to be considered a member of the Friends of Stoneham which was initiated by three law abiding citizens-tax payers and home owners of this community with the intent to be “a bipartisan group of Stoneham homeowners and residents whose goal is to inform Stoneham residents of local issues and enable them to take an active role in the development of our community”    (friendsofstoneham.org).  Based on this premise the Face Book page was established and individuals were able to comment and post their viewpoints, ideas and observations. To steal a phrase “WE ARE STONEHAM”

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The current mission that was on the front burner was the Weiss Farm development. However based on their reason for existing was not just the Weiss Farm development but to take a healthy role in the growth and improvement of our community.

Sadly detractors of the Friends of Stoneham saw fit to squelch one media outlet of spreading the written word.  A fifteen-year-old girl in New York by the name of Susannah Meyer wrote wisely about the written word. 

 

 

“For centuries, back to a time which probably cannot be traced, the power of the written word has proved to be something incontrovertibly sublime. The written word has saved lives, circulated powerful ideas, preserved traditions and memories, and so much more.

This being said, I believe that people now generally take this inevitable power of the written word for granted. Yes, you can use the written word to write an essay or send a text. Maybe the need for utilizing this tool isn't as great in my life, but I still think people should be aware of its significance. One important thing anyone anywhere can do with the power of the written word, regardless of his or her situation, is spread awareness. We can spread awareness of anything happening in the world, large or small. With that, we may be able to prevent a negative outcome that could have arisen from help coming too late. And that can make all the difference.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susannah-meyer/the-power-of-the-written-_b_1396959.html)

 

Imagine that a 15-year-old girl wrote that.  All of us should consider this when we write on all topics we are concerned about.  Sadly we have seen comments on Patch that have not followed this ideal. It is to be noted that these comments do not represent the residents and tax payers of this community who care about Stoneham and the residents that live here.   

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