3 stories that made us ask: Does it need to be this way?

Also: How will we remember the Holocaust when the survivors are gone? [View in browser](    [❤️]( April 23, 2023 Dear Cog reader, I’ve long been fascinated by the power of stories to change our brain chemistry and alter our behavior. [Reading fiction]( for instance, can make us more empathetic. Watching an [inspiring film]( can make us more generous. This week in Cognoscenti, writers helped us think about the world in a new way. They looked deeply into some of the stories we tell ourselves — the practices we follow — and asked: Does it need to be this way? What will we lose if we don’t change? We’ve heard “Boston Strong” endlessly in the decade since the marathon bombings; the phrase has been emblazoned on everything from T-shirts to bracelets to bridges. But what does it really say about our city? And more importantly, what does it leave out? Rev. Laura Everett asked those questions [in an essay for Cog this week]( — and explored what a more "expansive Boston Strong" might look like. Our regular environmental contributor Frederick Hewett also [looked]( at a paradox of U.S. environmental law, which requires evidence of human harm for lawsuits claiming environmental damage. What if, he asks, we gave legal rights to rivers and forests? Finally, Jena Schwartz [wrote]( about the stories of loss and grieving that parents of LGBTQ kids, even those who eventually reach acceptance, sometimes tell. Her fundamental question: what message do those stories send to the kids? Thanks for reading, Kathleen Burge Editor [Follow]( Support the news   Must Reads [Does the Charles River have rights?]( Granting legal status to nature makes it easier to sue for environmental damage, writes Frederick Hewett. [Read more.]( [Does the Charles River have rights?]( Granting legal status to nature makes it easier to sue for environmental damage, writes Frederick Hewett. [Read more.]( [Why I want a Boston that’s more than ‘strong’]( When David Ortiz stood at Fenway Park and shouted, “Stay strong!” I cheered too. I wanted us to be “Boston Strong,” writes Laura Everett. But when all we are is strong, what – and who – gets left behind? [Read more.]( [Why I want a Boston that’s more than ‘strong’]( When David Ortiz stood at Fenway Park and shouted, “Stay strong!” I cheered too. I wanted us to be “Boston Strong,” writes Laura Everett. But when all we are is strong, what – and who – gets left behind? [Read more.]( [Love the child you have]( When I read pieces by parents who are having trouble letting their kids be who they are, mostly I hear fear, writes Jena Schwartz. But what if we focused more on the beauty of really seeing our queer and trans kids? [Read more.]( [Love the child you have]( When I read pieces by parents who are having trouble letting their kids be who they are, mostly I hear fear, writes Jena Schwartz. But what if we focused more on the beauty of really seeing our queer and trans kids? [Read more.]( [How will we remember the Holocaust when the survivors are gone?]( Massachusetts had more antisemitic hate crimes than all but five other states last year. We can honor the legacy of survivors by fighting discrimination, write Jody Kipnis and Todd Ruderman. [Read more.]( [How will we remember the Holocaust when the survivors are gone?]( Massachusetts had more antisemitic hate crimes than all but five other states last year. We can honor the legacy of survivors by fighting discrimination, write Jody Kipnis and Todd Ruderman. [Read more.]( What We're Reading "I am tired of menstruating people being questioned, mistrusted or ignored when they report their lived experiences, especially since not addressing side effects risks turning people away from vaccines." "[Why reports of period weirdness after covid shots were ignored]( The Washington Post. “I think the bus is often overlooked as a climate solution ... because it is overlooked as a solution, period.” [Better Bus Systems Could Slow Climate Change]( Scientific American. "The average American my age, in his mid-to-late 30s, is roughly six times more likely to die in the next year than his counterpart in Switzerland." "[America Fails the Civilization Test]( The Atlantic. "Maybe one bright sunny April day, all Boston will be stronger, and not just those at the front of the race." — Laura Everett, "[Why I want a Boston that’s more than ‘strong’]( ICYMI [Kara Goucher is running for herself]( I loved running before I knew I was good at it, and I'm glad I was good at it — it completely changed my life, writes American distance-running great Kara Goucher. I still look forward to my run every single day. [Read more.]( [Kara Goucher is running for herself]( I loved running before I knew I was good at it, and I'm glad I was good at it — it completely changed my life, writes American distance-running great Kara Goucher. I still look forward to my run every single day. [Read more.]( If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? 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