What do we do now?

The last few years have left many isolated and lonely.

No doubt the outcome of the election has left some fearful of the future and some hopeful.

The rhetoric was exceptionally heated because many of us could hide behind technology and never see or talk to those with whom we disagreed to find we have more common ground than what divides us.

In a nation of such ethnic diversity as ours, it is the U.S. Constitution and our reliance upon God that binds us together as a people. We recognize that there is more to life than material possessions and someone greater than ourselves who guides all things.

The question is: What do we do now?

To accomplish, as Lincoln said, “to bind up the nation’s wounds.”

The first step as Benjamin Franklin observed at the end of the Constitutional Convention is that we have to doubt some of our own infallibility.

As a people with different opinions, we need to agree to disagree on some topics and learn from mistakes made. We need to care for each other at our needs as Christ did for those He met.

We need to seek to build each other up.

Finally, we need to reflect the love of the Triune God which has not been reflected perfectly by His followers. Jesus was willing to die to rescue us from our sins and failings rather than live without us.

As a people, we need to find healing in that love and share it with each other.

Rev. John J. Babbitts Jr., pastor, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Hamburg

As much as the unwanted division will hardly fade instantly, one thing that is eternal is the peace and calm offered by enjoying fine art together. Seeing what artists imagine and create can lure you away from worries and into a place of peace and healing.

To think about how an artist carved, painted or drew their imaginary or even real creatures is a wonderful distraction from the stresses of the world.

Skylands Museum of Art was created for this exact reason. It is a place for viewers to take a break by enjoying the work of highly skilled sculptors, painters and illustrators.

We are here to highlight the very best of what humans create and do.

Like many, I was hit hard by the horrors of 9/11. I wanted to escape ... and being a stone carver, I did. I escaped into my art by creating safe spaces where my mind could wander, then settle for a while.

I selected naturally colorful stones and envisioned windows and doors within them to provide safe, cozy spots for my mind to rest and rejuvenate. We all need that from time to time! These pieces fill our Sanctuary Room. It is a bright, airy place for you, too, to escape any worries and simply enjoy the calm and peace.

With over 300 pieces on display, this is just one of nine rooms we have to explore. The museum focuses on enchanting and imaginative international 20th and 21st century work by leading artists, including Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Leonor Fini, Michael Parkes, Giorgio de Chirico and Ailene Fields. Let’s erase the division and gather together around great art. It’s a wonderful escape!

Ailene Fields, artist and founder, Skylands Museum of Art, Lafayette

I think that we as a country need to see each other and respect individual opinions without anger and name calling.

We teach our children to be kind, yet as adults we are forgetting this basic rule.

Everyone is going through something. We may not know what so we need to help and support each other rather than yelling.

The American dream is not just for Americans! We all are entitled to reach for our own stars. And sometimes we all need help.

As Americans, we should remember this not just in good times but everyday.

Valerie Macchio, executive director, Sparta Community Food Pantry

We have all witnessed tremendous compassion throughout catastrophic events. However, similar acts of care and compassion are happening daily around the world. Often we simply aren’t aware of them. Every day in every moment, we are offered the opportunity of lifting others up.

When someone is hurting in our family, community or the world, we feel their pain and want to help. Maybe we feel helpless, questioning what possible difference could we make anyway?

In fact, we can all make a difference. The power of one! We all have the power to change the world.

That change comes from millions of caring acts of kindness. Those acts are carried out into the world, like ripples in the water after a pebble is thrown. The way that we greet someone, smiling at a stranger, visiting an elderly neighbor - it all matters!

As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

If we ask ourselves, “How many people does it take to make a difference?” the answer is easy: one! One smile, one kind word, one open heart, one act of forgiveness.

I believe that difference begins with me. It begins with each of us! And Pass it Along’s teens are an inspiringly enthusiastic embodiment of being the change they wish to see in the world.

Here’s to the hope that when each of us leave this earthly realm, we will be missed because we made the world a better place.

Diane Taylor, president/chief executive, Pass It Along, Lafayette

Reaching the end of a tumultuous journey can be exhausting, especially if what you may have desired did not come to be.

Life has many unfulfilled wants and needs. At the same time, if one can grab a brass ring and “win,” it may not be the satisfaction that had been thought.

I have come to understand several truths. One is the concept of shared values. Resting upon common ground can assure success in addition to building pleasing relationships.

Respect, empathy and honesty can foster a sense of community. We have such a wonderful country - we are a brilliant city upon the hill, and cooperation and working together will propel us onto newer and better conditions - this is my deep belief.

On a personal basis, I’ve grown to realize that there are knowledge, skills and talents that each of us have, although each varies widely in tastes and preferences.

We can learn from others while at the same time grow closer to those whom we encounter along life’s path.

On the other hand, as Matthew 12:25 states, a house divided will not stand, a phrase that Abraham Lincoln stated during the strain of a divided nation in his time.

We might take this time of conflict to be an opportunity, a chance to see new combinations, to blend old ways, and help America maintain, in the eyes of many, as the greatest nation on earth.

Bill Truran, Sussex County historian