So, after much debate with others it has become clear that this world needs a good dose of Pollyanna.

Those of you old enough to remember the 1960 movie starring Haley Mills and Jane Wyman (Ronald Reagan’s first wife) know that being a Pollyanna means that you always see the good in everyone and everything.

Now, that is a tough assignment these days.

Pollyanna was an orphan who was sent to live with her spinster aunt. The aunt was very concerned with appearances and was very controlling.

What strikes us as needed from this classic film is the ability of the young star to change the outlook of the people around her, and did she ever. The aunt, of course, was a difficult case, but when Pollyanna convinced her to play the “Glad Game” and look for a reason to be glad in every situation, she became a transformed person, even lovable.

So, it was for the other characters of the town as Pollyanna gradually won them all over to her optimistic way of looking at things. The one conversion that has always been most astounding was her handling of the community minister. At the urging of the aunt; the minister’s sermons had become all fire and brimstone. For you younger people, he yelled a lot and told them they were going to burn in hell.

But Pollyanna taught him about the glad verses. According to Pollyanna (we have never counted for ourselves) God tells his people 800 times in the Bible to “be glad and rejoice” And follows up “that if he bothered to tell us something 800 times; he must want us to do it ... some.”

So, when we read the ugliness being written today aimed at mostly white Christians for being privileged or not repentant enough to suit other people, we can’t help but wonder where Pollyanna would have found the opportunity to express herself in the Glad Game.

Are white Christians at fault for the killing of innocent black men? No! All people, and not just ones of a certain color or creed, are at fault, including black leaders, who found a way out of these problems, but didn’t succeed in taking many of their brothers and sisters with them.

Can we and all others do better and should we? Damn right we could and should.

But tearing down historical monuments or defacing them isn’t a productive or acceptable way.

One more remembrance from Pollyanna is this; when you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you KNOW you will find the good; that is what you will get.

There is something to be glad about in all things, but sometimes it is hard to find.

We are glad that sometimes people cook sauerkraut. We are glad because it means they won’t cook it again for a long time. Pollyanna was glad to be in a wheelchair because that meant she didn’t have to use crutches. Yes, sometimes you have to work a little harder.

Today we hope that the religious people shouting and demanding that others repent or lament over the senseless killing that took place need to remember the God they claim to represent tells us to rejoice and be glad 800 times in the Bible.

Maybe the only thing to rejoice and be glad over is the opportunity to have opened wide avenues of conversation that were still closed two weeks ago.

Maybe one man’s life was horribly taken as the way that was to happen.

We see a lot of angry people, and we don’t blame them for being angry. But we also don’t see their methods of condemnation being a Christian solution, either.

Hadn’t we better look at some of the joy words like forgiveness, love, console, accept and leave privilege out of the discussion? We are all privileged to live in the greatest country in the world. We are privileged to worship as we choose and to let others do the same. We are priviledged to rip these words up in anger and throw them in the trash.

Or we can read them again and seek a Pollyanna approach to our issues. Our current way certainly won’t solve them.

— RV