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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FORUM Now that the emotional edge has softened somewhat, and I feel more comfortable to talk about it, I believe that in the past few days, I personally became involved in one of the most bizarre incidents of my entire life. In retrospect, one person's reaction to a letter seems to have unwittingly set off a drama that was to involve the lives of many persons in ways we would never have imagined. Once the curtains were opened, a classic set of group dynamics seemed to take over the script and to act as producer, director and choreographer of all that followed. Lines were drawn and sides were chosen. Fingers were pointed, tempers flared, friends turned against friends. Wagons were circled to protect against real or imaginary threats. What began as a simple incident turned into a vicious monster that fed on itself and gained momentum all too quickly. Feelings were hurt, egos were trampled on and mob rule became the order of the day. If one listened very closely, he might have heard faint stains of "get a rope." Or, was it perhaps The Call of the Wild reminding us that even though we are all individuals, mankind is still a social animal whose survival and actualization is dependent on how he interacts within his group. I profess to be a Christian. Perhaps not a good one by some standards, but nonetheless think that the Ten Commandments and the Golden rule are a good pattern on which to base my daily living. Love, forgiveness, and trust are the most powerful tools made available to us, while anger, fear and jealousy are the most counterproductive emotions that we encounter. Some learned person once said that if we quit worrying so much about who gets the credit for what, the impossible could become possible routinely. So, what say you? Let us forgive and forget, and move on with our lives…. In Christian Love Howard