My hopes for our country — and all of us

I debated about writing this letter for some time. I really didn’t know if it was the kind of letter you write to Newsday.

But I decided to do so because I needed to let out the anxiety that has built up in me over the past four years. Besides the usual worries we all have about our children and grandchildren’s well-being, our bills, our health, etc., we have added a pandemic and an attempt to destroy our democracy.

This tears at my heart because I have always loved history. So much so that I taught it for 34 years. Two areas I particularly enjoyed teaching were about the Constitution and the presidency.

I recently watched a film titled "The Way I See It." It was a photographic history of Barack Obama’s presidency by then-official White House photographer Pete Souza. While watching it, tears ran down my cheeks. The humility, empathy, civility and honesty shown in the clips made me so sad to see how this has virtually disappeared from our nation in the past four years.

All our really great presidents have shown these traits. Yes, we have disagreed with some of these men’s decisions but we also know in studying history they did these things because they thought they were the right thing to do for the entire nation. There was no thought of self-gain, photo ops or to aiding a small group of cronies.

In President Joe Biden I see a chance for these traits to return to our country and the chance that this country might heal itself.

I pray for all of us that this happens.

Robert Melo,

Sayville