Occupy Main Street for Christmas

Category: The Countertop

Published on Sunday, 18 December 2011 22:32

Written by Randy Garbin

With the passing of yet another tumultuous year, we see the slowly unfolding spectacle of some particularly nasty chickens coming home to roost. I’d like to think that in the face of all this, we as a people hold out hope that our pride, determination, and ingenuity will carry the day.

From where I stand, we live in such troubled times because of a crisis of accountability, a value derived from simple respect for those affected by the actions we take. Every good parent knows to teach their children that bad behavior has consequences, and that rewards come from respecting not only their elders, but their peers as well.

For all our prognosticating about these sorry characters, the pundits should just ask, “Who raised these people?” Those at the helm of our major institutions, financial or otherwise have forgotten these lessons or believe themselves immune from the consequences part. And so far, for good reason.

When my daughter leaves for school, I remind her to “listen to your teachers and be nice to your friends.” I don’t expect her to agree with them (I often did not), but she’ll gain nothing from disrespect. What other lesson in life is more valuable?

Last New Year’s, I simply resolved to spend more time with people I actually care about. I did as best I could, meeting with them face to face over a coffee or a beer or just going for a ride. I will reaffirm that resolution and redouble my efforts this and every year, because only recently I have learned the hard way that another chance may never come.

A good life, I believe, reveals itself through the telling of good stories, told by and about people who have made positive impacts on their communities. I would challenge anyone to find someone who has made that impact without a healthy and active social network, and I don’t mean one invented by a clever Harvard drop out who wanted to find a easier way to get laid. I mean the kind of network established through actual handshakes, personal contact, and of shared values.

The protesters “occupying” Wall Street seek to take the captains of our misguided financial industry to task for essentially forgetting all those lessons the rest of us learned as children. I get that. It makes me angry as well. In their frustrations with the system, they’ve peacefully assembled to take a stand by making their own community and set a better example. Many debate the effectiveness in such a tactic, but I see this passive-​aggressive attempt to correct things as ephemeral. Great examples of good communities already exist along the Main Streets of of our towns and cities, and they would welcome an expression of support from people trying to send a message to Wall Street. What better place to gather in a season dedicated to gift giving and reconnecting?

So, if you haven’t yet finished your shopping or if you don’t shop because you abhor the malls and shopping centers (as I do), then take these last few days to take a downtown stroll and spend a little money. While you’re at it, thank your local proprietor for being there and for carrying the torch. If your support results in another good story, then the good life is yours — and theirs.

In last year’s message, I made a plea for us all to return to a society that made things, as I see no better way to build the wealth of our nation. Making things fires our sense of accomplishment as nothing else can, and instills a distinctive character that makes our communities worthy of preservation.

As I say every year, I find the greatest satisfaction of the holiday season in the pageantry and the opportunity to reunite with friends and family not often enough seen. This is a holiday where we should celebrate our connections to each other and where we should reflect on those gifts of real importance — those of friendship, love, and peace.

Give a real present to yourself and to your community. Occupy its Main Street. Go down there and meet a friend for lunch, see a light show, buy a present. I can’t think of a better way to send a message up on high that we need to get back to and preserve the important things in life, the true things that make our nation dynamic and strong and ourselves happier and more prosperous.