I received an email from a resident of Whitewater, much active in public life. Here’s her message (but not her name), and then my reply thereafter. Her words in black, mine in blue:
“a question for you”
Good stuff – glad you are writing what you think, and that you write so well. Meanwhile, have you done anything, other than writing about it, to change things? Have you ever sat on a board or commission, or attended a council or plan board or CDA meeting and stood up and made your objections? I have, and sometimes (granted, not always) it’s made a difference. If you haven’t, I hope you will, because in the right venue your ideas could be more than just entertaining.
Thanks.
Adams: My pleasure. I have the advantage over you, don’t I? We’ve met before, but only I am aware that we have. I’ll ask you a question, in a moment.
I am, as I have written, a common man, citizen, resident, and property owner, who by accident and circumstance began writing about life in our small town. My website was unplanned, and if someone had asked me six months ago if I would write even a single word about our city, I would have found the idea surprising and improbable. Yet, here I am, writing back to you.
I have lived in this town for so many years, and have served on a public board. I am currently an active member of a community group in town. I never sought a political role, nor aspired to public notice. I was contented — as I am no less now — to walk through my threshold each evening, to my family. As I write to you tonight, at my desk, computer in front of me, books around me, I have every reason to be thankful. By some lights, I should be one of the strongest supporters of the status quo. Over time, however, I grew increasingly doubtful of some of the things those in public life told us. Some of it strained, and ultimately snapped, credulity. Some of their explanations were so obviously false it seemed as though they were things only an adolescent would say.
I started writing, and here we are, you and I.
I have a question for you, too.
Why don’t you join me? I have done some (only some) of what you have done; why don’t you try what some of what I’m doing? I don’t mean that you should or would share my opinions — I hardly expect uniformity of opinion. A few clicks on a keyboard, and you could easily find yourself with your own website that could tell your fellow residents what you thought about things. It’s easy to start a website, and you possess already ample dedication to our city. Stretch out your fingers across the keyboard, and tell us more. There’s a lot we could learn from you as a publisher.
I hope you will, because with the right website, your ideas could be more than just “sometimes (granted not always)” effective.
Cheers.