An Unexpected Correspondent

To the Editor:

Let’s face it: New Hampshire, which is a predominantly white state, is not an accurate reflection of America as a whole. Truth is, America is a racially diverse nation.

I’m a white man who was born in New Hampshire. I have lived my entire life in New Hampshire. I went to public schools in New Hampshire, which were predominantly white, and I went to the University of New Hampshire, which was predominantly white.

Despite my being college educated, it would nonetheless be easy for me to have an unconscious white bias. I want to be increasingly aware of that bias, as well as increasingly aware of my white privilege, and overcome those things, taking care to remember the underlying unity of life.

In my past life I was born in India. I was Mohandas K. Gandhi. That may sound crazy to some people but it’s nonetheless true. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Given that we human beings are eternal souls with temporary bodies, not temporary bodies that die and that’s the end of the story, we sometimes reincarnate into a body of a different race, speaking a different language from one incarnation to the next, being born as citizens of a different nation-state.

The implications of this are vast. My own experience serves as a reminder to me of the underlying spiritual unity of life—a unity that transcends various outer differences, such as race, language, and national origin.

It’s not that race, language, and nation don’t matter. Such things do, in fact, matter. It’s that it’s equally important, if not more important, to remember there’s an underlying unity to us all.

Respectfully,

Alex J. Boros

Rochester, N.H.

Alex:

Yes, New Hampshire is overwhelmingly white. It’s likely to remain so for the indefinite future—and the future is getting more indefinite by the moment.

Our state of melanin deficiency is often brought up by those who think we’re not a suitable venue for the First in the Nation™ Presidential Primary Election.® Here’s one way we might defend our meal ticket against that charge: develop a reputation as a state that never votes for racists.

We are inclined towards skepticism when it comes to reincarnation. That said, the lessons you draw from what you perceive to be your experience certainly seem commendable.

We have other correspondents—not mentioning any names [coughseenextcough]—who could certainly better the world by emulating your example.

The Editor

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