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I recently attended an out of state family wedding. It was a joyful experience, spending time with family I rarely see, and truly celebrating a great union.
I felt fortunate to see so much love in one place at one time.
But I also felt fortunate because we were talking face to face.
To attend the event required traveling and I was fortunate to travel with my niece, Suzanne, who teaches vocal music in South Sioux City, Nebraska. We had a large amount of time together, to talk about teaching, family, and changes in our world.
To me this was a great gift.
Our life experiences are quite varied. I grew up on a working farm north of Webster City, my sister, also a teacher, raised her family in a small town in Akron, Iowa. Our philosophies are slightly different based on experiences. We didn't travel, as we were tethered by farm animals, so her concept of taking a family vacation next year to Disney World didn't stack up well against our family picnics that took us as far as Briggs Woods.
She and her husband are good parents, and good teachers. We all value education greatly, yet it also reminded me how different our generations are and the way we do things.
It was good for me to listen to this and try to relate to their priorities and understanding how and why they do things.
Even as a family we have found it is hard to find the time to talk. But this is something we all need to do.
There are lots of discussions going on right now in our community, with a new high school project being explored, concerns over the industrial park, potential data centers, the condition of our downtown buildings, and the condition of our housing.
It is critical to discuss these issues, and listen to each other. There is much value in listening to other opinions, and sometimes that is all that is needed.
To be heard.
There is value in asking questions in a forum where others can hear the answers and resolve misunderstandings.
It is important to hear, think, look and listen. It is vital to do those things before we spout off an opinion before fully understanding the issue.
There are those in the community who are undertaking these challenges, to fully investigate the needs in all these areas. We count on them having the expertise to fully vet the information that they are giving us. They just need us to listen.
I'm on the same page as everyone else. Sometimes I have strong feelings that are hard to hide, but the more I listen and begin to understand, the fewer misunderstandings I have.
We have to report what happens, not shape what happens. Our opinions are our own, and we try to keep them out of the newspaper.
We do try to take a positive approach, especially when there are issues we want to fully understand before we try to report on them.
It's why our public information needs to be fully shared. It is why we attend meetings, why we report on what is said, and the decisions that are made during those meetings.
If recent activities have taught us anything, it's that there must be open discussions, but there also must be people willing to listen.
The answers are not going to be in a one-sided forum on Facebook, the answers need to be given in the room, in a forum where there is honest discussion.
So it's discouraging when the opportunities are offered, and very few take advantage of the time put into those public discussions.
The freedom of information act doesn't guarantee that all information is true. It just guarantees our right to share it.
But we need to be aware of the world, that as it changes, we should not be cutting off information to a large sector of our community.
Not everyone is on Facebook, not everyone has a smart phone, and not everyone uses QR codes. Those who rely on this only are cutting out a big segment of our world today. Yes it is changing, but how we handle the transitions are important. As the means of communication changes with time, you don't want to segregate information so that only a portion of the community receives it.
It's like performing a song, where the voices singing cannot hear each other. We are starting to talk into a void where there is no feedback, no discussion or communication. There is no chance for understanding the other side of the issues. We don't hear the needs of others, we only hear ourselves, and those who agree with us.
That's where we all have responsibilities. There are many meetings every month open to the public that share information and allow us to ask questions, at least at the beginning of the meeting.
We can't all take a vacation and spend hours talking about the issues that impact us, like I did with my niece. But we can all take a bit of that responsibility in sharing the good information we gather and tear down some of the silos we have built around us.
Our society cannot progress in a vacuum, nor can this community.
Take the time to go and listen, then gather your family and friends and discuss it with them to start. Learn the art of communicating, where you listen for a while, and then talk for a while. When you disagree, look for the common ground, think about compromises, consider options, then talk those out.
The tunnels that we have created have to start merging. Let's do it before we completely break down our society, our community.
And then when you travel, you will appreciate what you have here so much more. It's a good place. It's worth supporting, improving and helping. Don't just look at the picture perfect part of the towns where you travel, for underneath the surface is much more. If they are doing a good job, it is the work of the individuals in the city where you visit. If they are doing a bad job, the same, it is up to the individuals in the city.
So this is up to us, each one of us. Speak up, listen up, share, vote and be a part of the minority who shows up to learn.
We need to start here, in Webster City, in Hamilton County, in Iowa.
Today.