Where were you, Dad?
Where were you, Grandpa?
Where were you, Scoutmaster?
Where were you, Youth Pastor?
Where were you, Coach?
Where were you, Teacher?
We missed your life lessons in values, virtues and ethics. We missed your moral examples of compassion, humility, gentleness, integrity, altruism, encouragement, quiet strength, reason, and restraint.
Your examples of selfishness, aggressiveness, impulsive behavior, hubris, and violence shaped our character and actions. We lack citizenship, social skills, critical thinking skills, and self-regulation.
You downplayed or dismissed the tools of peaceful democratic transition. You had no time to teach us about rule of law, civilized debate, mediation, collaboration, and other tools of cooperation.
If you had been more present, perhaps things would have been different.
—The Capitol Insurrectionists, January 6, 2021
Will