Which path? What if things were really more like the 'good old days?'

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Americans set aside their cell phones, cut back their schedules and pulled down their fences and talked and shared with one another?

What would our children be like? How would our communities and our schools be better places?

What if the term "it takes a village to raise a child" wasn't some political catch phrase that really meant "default to a government program rather than expect more from those who are charged with the sacred honor of caring for and raising children?"

What if things were like they used to be in places like Little Washington and other small communities around the county where adults had their eyes on all the children, not just their own, and were ready with a rebuke or a hug, depending on what was needed that day?

What if the world were a bit simpler, a bit slower, a bit less immune to the violence, the sexual behavior displayed on just about every television show and the lyrics that have to be bleeped because they cannot be heard in polite company?

What if there were an overabundance of people ready to offer an extra hand, a couple of hours or just a shoulder? What if a neighborhood became a place where people kept an eye out for each other, where there was someone to count on during tough times and someone to celebrate with when there was good news?

What if we really thought more about our priorities and our blessings -- and created the path of our lives with the most precious parts of our lives in mind and ignored everything else?

The scenarios listed above are not lost. There are places all over Wayne County where people live their lives by these watchwords, these positive goals. They make mistakes, sure, and they miss the mark sometimes, but they hold themselves to a standard, to principles many of them learned at their parents' knee.

It is a tougher choice.

But there are others who dismiss responsibility, content to let others do the work, taking as much as they can get.

And there are many who dismiss the tried and true principles of the past, who equate "progress" with a total revamp of the values and the priorities that really matter, a trashing of the standards that once were considered core concepts, but are now labeled "old-fashioned."

Perhaps we need a little more "old-fashioned," a little less willingness to bend a principle to the tune of "the times they are a changing."

Maybe we should take a stand, soon, before we forget the values that matter.

Maybe we should expect a bit more from those who are only too willing to default their responsibilities to others.

Maybe we should be there for others a little more often. Maybe we should put "community" into our schedules more often.

Maybe we should seek more opportunities to share ideas, possibilities and the wisdom of those who have come before us and built families and a community -- before we lose it.

It is an intriguing thought, isn't it?

Published in Editorials on June 29, 2013 11:40 PM