It was with a bit of surprise that we heard the town of Harvard mentioned on the radio this week. The news was broadly spread over the local airwaves and newspapers that Brother Thomas Dalton, principal of the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, chose not to participate in Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in protest over the parade committee’s decision to let a gay rights’ group march.
While the battle for gay rights seems a bit passé in a town like Harvard where many gay families live with acceptance by most, the portion of our community that takes offense still has a right to their opinion. When that opinion takes on offensive language, however, it can be hard to honor that right.
This week we remind residents that tolerance is a double-edged sword. As George Eliot said, “The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have a wider vision.” This week we were all required to stretch our vision.
