I have been so saddened over the last several weeks, as our sweet town has been thrust into the spotlight because of a news story which did not even happen in town. Staff, council, and myself have received emails and calls from all over the world. Most have been calls for me to take action that, for good reason, the law does not allow me to do. Others have been profane and urgently grotesque. But the worst part is that I understand why this is happening at the same time that I am utterly bewildered by it.
In this strange futuristic world we live in, where everything we hear on the news or social media feels as if it is next door, where search engines tell us what we want to hear and make us feel like we are professionals with deep understanding of complex subjects, where we no longer teach civics in our schools, and we have lost so much respect for our public institutions – the world is a scary place.
It is very tempting for even thoughtful people to think that it is our job to be judge, jury, and executioner when we see a news story that hits us in our heart. When we really care about something, and we don’t believe in our institutions (such as the police and the courts) much less know how these systems work, who will carry out justice if bad things happen? We feel responsible and we feel helpless at the same time.
And in a world where everyone who doesn’t believe exactly the same things as ourselves is potentially evil and a threat to our children and democracy (according to so many of our leaders on both sides of the aisle) we are left with only our own devices. We think we cannot rely on a system if it is led by evil people and they are working against us. We think we cannot trust a system when we do not understand it, much less if we have seen the system fail due to human error over and over again. So, it can be very hard not to elevate our own voice and take it into our own hands, in the hopes that this will relieve our aching hearts.
I am writing here to say, I understand. I have heard your calls for action. And I understand that you are scared, that you are in shock over the things you have seen in the news. And that you believe someone needs to do something, now. You wish that there were not gun drills in schools where our children have to prepare for a potential threat too horrible to contemplate. You wish that our country were safer. You wish that people would be responsible with any power they hold in their hands. You wish for a safe, calm, and rational world.
Me too. And that is why I am so grateful for our Town of Mountain View. That is why. Because fixing things starts at the local level, with us. Our town is so much more than what a single news story may try to portray. We are filled with people willing to work hard together to find solutions. We are eclectic and creative. We have been planting trees, fixing sidewalks, joining in conversations about changes we want to see. And we are working together to keep our children safe from speeders, crime, accidents, and a mad world. We are contributing to help things function better. We are trying to be patient with each other. We are learning how to improve. We don’t always communicate perfectly, but we try. And sometimes, things can feel scary. But we are working together to make our world better. And that is the very, very special thing that I wish Mountain View were known for, more than anything else.
Autumn in Mountain View
Thank you to all who have tended their yards and flowers in town. At the end of the summer, the flowers in Mountain View persist, lending beauty for all to see on a walk around town.
