COMMENTARY

MILT THOMAS

What began as response to a snub by elected officials has become a local movement.

A year and a half ago, Vero Beach City Councilmen Craig Fletcher and Tracy Carroll refused to endorse a proclamation recognizing National Humanist Week, the former because Humanists don’t share his religious convictions and the latter because she thought it synonymous with atheists. As officials elected to represent ALL citizens of Vero Beach and honor our Constitution’s Bill of Rights, they violated the very First Amendment.

And it did not go unnoticed.

A group of clergy representing nearly all faiths found in Vero Beach met to not only decry what had happened but to try and prevent it from every happening again. The group expanded to include business people, educators, representatives from non-profit organizations and the arts, healthcare and one elected Vero Beach City Councilman. The result was formation of a group calling itself CompassionVero.

As stated in their mission statement, “The mission of this local, community-wide initiative – spearheaded by business, governmental, religious, educational and non-profit leaders of Vero Beach working collaboratively – is to increase compassion, consideration, respect, acceptance and inclusion in every area and aspect of our shared living here in Vero Beach.”

In December, the Vero Beach City Council approved a motion to proclaim January 2015 as CompassionVero Month. The first public event was a screening of the documentary film, Kindness is Contagious, at the Emerson Center January 22. The film is a well-researched study of the beneficial effects on a person, group and society, by being kind and respectful of others.

With a minimal amount of publicity but strong word of mouth, the film was attended by 325 people. More than 80 signed up at the event to become “Friends of CompassionVero,” as listed on the organization’s website (www.compassionvero.org). The audience was enthusiastic and many participated in a Q&A after the film ended.

Speaking with some of them before and after the film, this reporter found they were not casually interested in the subject — they were emotionally involved and tired of the vindictiveness, disrespect and overall meanness that seems to pervade public discourse today, especially in this community we all love. Whether it is a small group of citizens haranguing  at city and county meetings while TV cameras are rolling or kids bullying in schools, or nasty message on social media, it seems that we find people angry about something and expressing themselves for all to see. See: Apparently, they weren’t listening.

There is finally an antidote for this social dyspepia — CompassionVero. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a saying as old as the Bible, but this group of 325 people — and I expect many, many more — want to see it put back into action. Suzy Feeney, chairperson of CompassionVero, encourages everyone to visit the organization’s website at http://www.compassionvero.org. “It explains the objectives, principles and mission of our group, upcoming activities, articles of interest, words of inspiration and a list of ‘Friends,’ people and organizations who agree to stand by CompassionVero’s mission.”

What began as an insult by elected officials, has in fact created the beginning of a movement, a “Vero Beach Spring” of people tired of political and social divisiveness who long for the values associated with small town living – friendliness, respect, consideration of our neighbors, acceptance and compassion. One would expect an event drawing this much attention and an organization that can only have a positive effect on our community might have garnered some post-event press in the community’s daily and weekly media.