I awoke today with my mind settled on a story I have often told but for the life of me I cannot remember where and when I first read or heard it. I thought I'd share it with you despite the unintended lack of appropriate reference. (If the original story teller is reading this, please forgive my elaboration)
As the 1960's (you know, the hippie-era) came to an end, those old rock-n-roll refugees of San Francisco began moving down the coast to Santa Cruz. They got married and had children, though usually not in that order, and soon set up a nice place to call home and raise a family. Now, these once hippie parents never named their children what we would consider normal names, like Bob, Jack, Melissa, or Janice. No, they gave their children lovely names, meaningful names, like Sea Foam, Moonbeam, and Snow Princess. Soon, the people in the area grew accustomed to having their little Billy and Suzy play ball with little Spring Fever and Time Warp. And eventually, many children with names like Precious Promise and Earth Love all ended up in the public schools.
It is during that time that one kindergarten teacher first met Fruit Stand (yes, that's right - Fruit Stand).
On the first day of school, a little boy stepped off his bus wearing a name tag hung around his neck displaying his name - Fruit Stand. The kindergarten teacher thought the boy's name was odd, but no odder really than the other children's now coming through the school.
Throughout that first day, the teacher tried her best not to make the boy feel self-conscious about his name. She tried to use his name as much as possible to help make it second nature for her and his classmates.
"Would you like to play with the blocks, Fruit Stand?" she asked. "Fruit Stand, how about a snack?"
By the afternoon recess, his name didn't seem much odder than Jill or Sun Ray or Fairy Queen.
At the final bell of the day, the teacher led the children out to the bus loading area. "Fruit Stand, do you know which bus is yours?" the teacher asked. The little boy didn't answer, which wasn't particularly strange since he hadn't answered her all day. The teacher understood that lots of children were just shy on their first day of school.
As the teacher searched for the bus Fruit Stand should be on, she remembered that she had asked each parent to write the name of the child's bus stop on the back of the name tag hanging around their neck. Just as she was putting the little boy on the bus and said, "Goodbye. See you tomorrow, Fruit Stand," she turned the tag over. There, neatly printed, was the word "Anthony."
Within that simple story you can see how preconceived notions can cause significant problems. I believe we as Americans often fall into this trap. We assume and hope for the best without getting involved. We all want to believe and trust our government and her leaders; that is our natural instinct. But the truth is we must fight against such blind allegiance. We need to be engaged in our government and ready to stand up for what we believe. It's time we ask questions and demand answers, or as Thomas Jefferson once said, "Question with boldness."
It is time we as Americans turn over those name tags and check out the facts. We must be more active, more willing to get in the fight at every level of government from our cities to our state to our nation. It's time we put our money, our time, and our elbow grease where our mouth is. We have taken our government's word for granted for far too long (on both sides of the aisle - Democrat and Republican) and we are now paying dearly.
Do you believe in the government running healthcare? Do you believe in $9 trillion in national debt? Do you believe in an entitlement state? Do you believe it is right to tax one person more to pay for another? Do you believe in cap and trade? Do you believe you spend your way out of debt? And on and on and on I could go.
As a local elected official who sits in City Council meetings regularly, I'm always amazed at the lack of involvement by citizens even at the local government level. On average, most City Council meetings are only attended by a handful of citizens, and most of those are attending for a specific personal purpose (i.e. variance, special request, etc.), not just because they want to learn and be engaged in the City's business. Don't get me wrong, I get those phone calls about drainage problems and potholes, but where's the concern over the local budget? Where's the concern about cleanliness and upkeep? Why do we only care about such problems when they effect us? Why are people reactive to government and not proactive? If people asked questions and were involved in the process, the outcome they complain about could be avoided. But such involvement takes effort and commitment, and in our day and time both are severely lacking. And now we are where we are as a nation and we wonder why.
All politics is local and that's where government works the best, closest to the people. So what are you waiting for? Will you get in the fight? Ask questions, be engaged, and give of yourself for the betterment of your city, state, and nation.
President Obama once said, "...change never begins from the top down. It begins from the bottom up." It seems he and many more have forgotten this truth. I still believe in the people, not the government. I ask you to join with me, to get on the bus and remind our government that it is the people, you and I, who matter and it's high time they remembered that, even if your name is Fruit Stand.
Frank Corder,
Pascagoula City Councilman
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
