Letters to the Editor: The coronavirus is America’s chance to become a mature nation

To the editor: Randall Balmer points out the suffering that many people are experiencing these days. As a nation, we Americans project an image of youthful happiness, opportunity and abundance. We don’t really like to face suffering, limitation and loss.

It would be the mark of a maturing nation to acknowledge this. Honestly, we could have acted on the coronavirus sooner and been better prepared.

This is true for other challenges too. We know now that our planet is warming and that we can take action to prepare us for the future and reduce the suffering somewhat. Will we take that action?

If we can ponder this while our usual outings and entertainment are not available, we can bring forth our better selves. We can be a nation that is growing up, a nation that recognizes that while some suffering is part of life, a lot can be mitigated by the actions we take in a timely manner.

Penelope Mann, Claremont