Point of Order

I love the paper — from local news to opinion pieces and naturalist articles — and the fact that it has so much better editing than most local papers. Thank you for your wonderful work.

However, I couldn’t help but notice in the latest edition a reference to a “crazy Buddhist koan,” (“Naturalist’s Notebook,” March 2021).

I understand and appreciate that this phrasing was not meant in any way to be offensive. I would like to point out that it is unintentionally rude and unwittingly ostracizes those of us in the Buddhist community. It’s not the reference to koan, but instead the choice to use the word “crazy” to describe them. I can’t help but think that most readers would have a sudden pause while reading the article, much as I did, if the phrase were instead something along the lines of “some crazy Christian psalm.”

Kris Babish, Longbranch