As the final hours of 2017 dwindle down toward the new year, here is an overriding wish for Butler County in 2018.

Let’s all strive to be a community. Let us be gracious and civil toward one another. Let us be patient, generous and tolerant of our neighbors.

Let it be particularly so when we’re dealing with those who are genuinely striving to recover from drug addiction. They need nothing less than “tough love” — which may include time in a prison cell or rehab center. But the hard fact about successful recovery is that nobody make it on their own. And there will be bumps and setbacks along the way.

And here’s the thing: It’s as useful to blame the individual for drug abuse as it is to blame the president of the United States, which many people are more than willing to do. Call it “Trump derangement syndrome” — the tendency to blame all of life’s negatives on the fact that Trump occupies the White House. TDS hit a new low this past week when a deranged individual debated the animatronic wax figure Trump at Disneyworld’s Hall of Presidents’ exhibit.

Also, let us be vigilant and protective against anyone wishing ill will against our neighbors. We’ve all heard the expression, “If you see something, say something.” But so many recently published crime reports include details about a guilty plea in exchange for probation, it leads us to wonder, has every defendant become a drug informant? It that because nobody else is willing to talk to law enforcement?

Sometimes tough love involves reporting a relative’s crimes. If you don’t, you are complicit. You are an enabler. You’re breaking the law, too. And you’re not doing your addicted family member any favors.

Butler is a great town and a great county, and will continue to be because of the people who live here. We’ve had problems, but we’ve faced our problems and overcome them. We’ll overcome this one, too, but not without a measure of personal restraint, compassion and peace expressed and exercised by everyone.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.