May 2005 | Letters to the Editor
Too Much Dwelling on Negativity?
Praise to you, Evergreen Monthly, for all that you stand for and the precious medium that you nurture. I thoroughly enjoy reading your well-balanced articles each month.
The recent article “Honest to Closeness” (EM, March) is appropriate and beneficial to us all. It is the light-shedding type of article that introspectively stimulates the individual as well as the greater community. My only regret is that there wasn’t space enough to go more deeply into the topic.
Which brings me to Silja Talvi’s March column on a “passive-aggressive Seattle” Honestly, I don’t feel like her article sheds light or is beneficial and positively based, two qualities typically inherent in EM’s pages.
We all know that violence, greed, hate, racism and angst lurk in this world and amongst people. One can externalize every issue in life and make the world seem hostile, ugly and full of mean people. If one focuses on it, that is what one will see. And far too often, those who fail to look inside themselves for the roots of suffering find it convenient to look outside for their answers.
In my opinion, one of Seattle’s greatest issues is the fact that so many of its people move here from all over and bond in their dissatisfaction with the “people of Seattle” or the city itself. Can they not see that they are perpetuating the same distasteful energy that they are moaning about? If these same people could realize this and work toward connecting with the parts of Seattle that they connect with, then it seems to me that we would obtain a dramatic shift in the overall energetic resonance of Seattle.
There is no end to the beauty that can spring from such a shift. It is not overly relevant how heinous or ignorant someone’s actions are. I ask: For that one ignorant comment Ms. Talvi overheard, how many beautiful people sharing beautiful ideas, energy and feelings were there at that party?
Seattle is not passive-aggressive. Truly, this city will be exactly what you make of it. For me, Seattle is Shangri-la.
—Dan Lundquist, Seattle
Connecting with the EM Columnist
Dear Editor,
I wanted to tell you how much I have been enjoying Silja Talvi’s columns (beginning with the February issue of EM). I look forward to them and make a point to forward them from your website or share the magazine with friends. Her April column on the homeless is another example of her sharp eye and keen focus on how we can build a better community here in Seattle.
—Nicole Farmer, Internet
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