The old phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” is often used to describe a something-for-nothing attitude. But when applied to the health of a community, it is used as a reminder that the benefits we derive from being a part of a community carries with it obligations, and the quality of our community often relies on how well we meet those obligations.
For many, that obligation begins and ends at the voting booth, and while that role in choosing our leaders is important, the obligation extends beyond Election Day to Every Day. That means being informed, engaged and resilient when things take a turn for the worse – especially when things take a turn for the worse.
We’ve had a pretty tough run of unfortunate circumstances in the Columbus community of late. As a result, many are tempted to fall into cynicism, apathy and ultimately indifference.
Whether it’s Ward 4 councilman Pierre Beard’s soap opera of legal picadillos that continue to be an embarrassment to our city, the city’s council’s pig-headed insistence on pursuing an annexation that benefits no one inside or outside the current city limits, the disturbing conditions of many of our city school facilities or proposed legislation that threatens The W and Mississippi School for Math and Science’s home at MUW, the overall reaction to these absurdities has been generally muted.
Now isn’t the time for being reserved. Now is the time for the community to be howling.
Yet based on what we are hearing and seeing in response to these challenges, there seems to be an emerging climate of fatalism which our community can ill-afford. Communities don’t collapse, they decline. More good causes are abandoned than lost.
It’s OK to be frustrated, angry and skeptical. We share those emotions. Properly directed, those can be useful emotions. But what we cannot afford to do as citizens is to disengage, to simply quit caring.
The greatest tool we have is to remember our obligations.
That means not only staying informed about what’s happening by attending council meetings and reading the paper, but making sure your friends and neighbors are informed as well. During the course of your day, you have numerous opportunities to raise awareness among those you meet. We urge you to make your voices heard through casual conversations, writing letters to the editor, attending public forums and council meetings or making calls to the mayor and city council members.
It is within our hands to set our city on the proper course when our leaders lose their way or threats from outside the city arrive at our door. It is our job to hold those in power accountable. It is our shared responsibility to question our leaders’ assumptions and look for evidence to support or refute them and then share what we have learned with others.
What we cannot afford to do is throw up our hands and give up.
Our community has great potential, but only if we meet our obligations as citizens when the difficult times come, as they do to all communities.
Now is that time in Columbus.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
