In Sunday's edition of The Baltimore Sun, the word "AWE" appears on the cover of Parade magazine with the report that feeling awe may be the "secret to health and happiness," giving us the example of PTSD victims recovering by experiencing the great outdoors ("Feeling awe may be the secret to health and happiness," Oct. 7).
In the same newspaper, the second part of the "Shoot to kill" series ("Some Baltimore neighborhoods condemned to endure a shocking degree of violence") relates the horrifying statistics and soul-searing stories of fractured families and communities impacted by gun violence with high numbers of deaths, speaking to the despair in our city.
Why can't we break this cycle of deadly violence by treating all children to "awe" in education, with recreation and arts at the core by showing Baltimore's children a world of appreciation with drums, violins, guitars, horns, songs and ceramics. We might invest in outdoor education instead of incarceration.
Arts education makes successful education and successful students. Let Baltimore breathe a breath of awe — one day, one child, one wealthy, compassionate and wise Marylander at a time joining in to raise us from "shoot to kill" to awesome in education.
Theresa Reuter, Baltimore