Saturday, January 12, 2019
You Can’t Go Home Again; But You Can be a Positive Force in Town
I grew up in Ash Grove from the 1960s to the 1980s. I managed a newspaper in Willard during the early 1990s. I have lived in Republic the past 15 years. I can confirm that these towns have changed in the last 30 to 15 years.
“You Can’t Go Home Again” is a book written by Thomas Wolfe. In it, he tells the story of an author who returns home only to discover that the town residents are mad at him because they see themselves in some of his stories. Then he writes this famous line: “Back home to time and memory which cannot be recaptured.”
For example, no matter how detailed or pleasant my memories are about the friendly small town experience of growing up in Ash Grove, things have changed. The town has changed because people have changed.
Those lazy, hazy days of the 1980s can never be recaptured. I can hop on a 10-speed bike and ride all over town, and it will not matter. I can cruise Main Street at night with my window rolled town playing music, and it will not be the same. I may even get pulled over by a local officer, but the town and the experience will be different.
If you have lived here long, you know things have changed.
Sometimes this change is due to external forces. Businesses come and go. Certainly, it can also have to do with changes in our culture. It can also be a reflection of changes in us.
However, the harsh reality is that it can also be because of the choices we have made. Sometimes towns change because good people turn a blind eye to evil or community challenges. Sometimes the changes have greed or pride at the root.
Our communities need leaders and volunteers who are positive. Our towns need community leaders that are agents of peace. This means being a community spark plug. It means devoting energy to community needs but doing it in a way that is not self-serving. It also means leading in a way that brings people together on issues, not creating a wider divide.
Being an agent of change may require you to make personal changes or alter your priorities. It may require that you establish peace in your family first.
Our communities need healthy individuals, stable families, and mission-minded churches and institutions that build and support the community.
Why wait for someone else to take a step forward to lead? Stop pretending that we can recapture the 1980s and start looking forward. While we cannot recapture past glories, we can work together to ensure a strong future for our communities.
Sign up for our Greene County EXCEL program online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene and get regular updates about learning opportunities for Greene County leaders and volunteers.
“You Can’t Go Home Again” is a book written by Thomas Wolfe. In it, he tells the story of an author who returns home only to discover that the town residents are mad at him because they see themselves in some of his stories. Then he writes this famous line: “Back home to time and memory which cannot be recaptured.”
For example, no matter how detailed or pleasant my memories are about the friendly small town experience of growing up in Ash Grove, things have changed. The town has changed because people have changed.
Those lazy, hazy days of the 1980s can never be recaptured. I can hop on a 10-speed bike and ride all over town, and it will not matter. I can cruise Main Street at night with my window rolled town playing music, and it will not be the same. I may even get pulled over by a local officer, but the town and the experience will be different.
If you have lived here long, you know things have changed.
Sometimes this change is due to external forces. Businesses come and go. Certainly, it can also have to do with changes in our culture. It can also be a reflection of changes in us.
However, the harsh reality is that it can also be because of the choices we have made. Sometimes towns change because good people turn a blind eye to evil or community challenges. Sometimes the changes have greed or pride at the root.
Our communities need leaders and volunteers who are positive. Our towns need community leaders that are agents of peace. This means being a community spark plug. It means devoting energy to community needs but doing it in a way that is not self-serving. It also means leading in a way that brings people together on issues, not creating a wider divide.
Being an agent of change may require you to make personal changes or alter your priorities. It may require that you establish peace in your family first.
Our communities need healthy individuals, stable families, and mission-minded churches and institutions that build and support the community.
Why wait for someone else to take a step forward to lead? Stop pretending that we can recapture the 1980s and start looking forward. While we cannot recapture past glories, we can work together to ensure a strong future for our communities.
Sign up for our Greene County EXCEL program online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene and get regular updates about learning opportunities for Greene County leaders and volunteers.
