Vacation revelation: Can’t we all just get along?

At this writing, I sit in the shadow of the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia. Steeped in history, the Homestead Resort is nestled along a valley north of Covington, Va. Just a bit larger than our Ozark Mountains, the area exudes freedom and liberty. The resort was established 10 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Photographs of visitors from the late 1800s and early 1900s occupy the walls. Places with touches of history such as this give rise to deep reflection.

Often I chide our community for lacking appreciation and understanding of the hard work, blood, sweat and tears that go into giving each of us a splendid life in Columbia. Regardless of our stations in life, many people before us sacrificed, invested and just plain gutted it out for subsequent generations. What we accomplish with the circumstances bestowed upon us says much about the depth of our character.

Confusion abounds between the pursuit of life’s riches and the fruits of that pursuit. As a community, we are keen on the fruits yet give nary a thought to their cultivation.

Affordable housing and jobs stand out as issues inextricably linked with the pursuit of life’s goodness. “Affordable” housing is in the eye of the beholder, as is what defines a “good” job. Take, for instance, the many new requirements now placed on the construction of a new home. It is easy for those who do not intend to purchase new homes or those who can afford to purchase exquisite homes to dismiss the extra few hundred dollars here and couple of thousand there our neighbors must spend to create “a better community” rife with amenities. However, most of us live in the middle. We understand the link between a truly good job and home ownership.

A deeply rooted discontent simmers in our community. I know life has not been fair to all participants. Anger from those who have been marginalized is understandable. The anger from those who are well blessed and from those who choose to live simple lives, though, I have trouble comprehending. The players represent the extremes, while the middle is ignored as its inhabitants continue with the business of life: family, work, family and work.

Not since I finished my terms as a Department of Planning & Zoning commissioner and Columbia City Council member have I been so involved in the business of our community. Becoming immersed in two rezoning requests, rewriting a sign and awning ordinance for downtown, visioning, burying utilities, and working through new fire sprinkler guidelines for students in the Greek community at the university not only has occupied much time but also has revealed to me a surprising level of animosity. From narcotics activists to overzealous public officials to uppity business types, all seem bent on the attainment of their own goals without regard for anyone else.

We in the middle owe much to these driven individuals. The middle is often content with the status quo. Thank goodness for those who envision prosperity and those who painstakingly take on the health and safety of all with a great sense of duty.

Shame on them, though, for forgetting that, although they see with different eyes, they are still only a part of the community. They often rush forward headlong, without wide consideration of the consequences. When people appear at public meetings, call in to local radio talk shows or send in their vehemence for print in local newspapers, I wonder why they are so angry. Apparently, in all of their wisdom, they realize that they are simply tolerated and not given serious consideration.

Only when each of us understands the duty of making a contribution, acting only on that for which we are accountable, will the undercurrent grow calm, and only then will we better appreciate how truly blessed we are.