Let's try this again

I have not posted here since April. I was posting on another collaborative blog, but haven't done that lately either, so I'll try this one again. I'm thinking this should just be about whatever I'm interested in at the moment. Which usually will be either politics, religion or music, most of the time.

Politics? Not sure why I'm so fascinated with politics. Actually, I get disgusted with politics. I lose patience with lawmakers who either lose sight of why they got involved in public service, or who forget what public service means, or who cave to the temptation to serve special interests instead of the public good. I lose patience with lawmakers who seek to satisfy those who fund their campaigns or give them favors instead of doing what's best for constituents, and for the greater good of the country. Or of humanity.

Still, it's important to care. Even at the grass roots level. Like in Salisbury, "the Bury" as it's known to some. Used to be a small town, close-knit community. I remember from my childhood, the street I grew up on, I could walk past each house and tell you who lived there, what they were like and probably some stories about them. Except that I'd be afraid to walk down that street, even in broad daylight. I used to know every crack in the sidewalk. And that is, in a nutshell, what is wrong in the Bury right now.

I have a theory.

We have rising crime problems, gangs are growing, drugs, gun violence. But it's a sickness that begins at the heart of the community, when you hear people always putting it down, seeing and talking about the negatives. Dysfunctional city government, nasty comments about community leaders, poking fun at institutions and always shooting down (verbally, I mean) anyone who tries to make things better.

My theory is that if someone could get people talking hopefully, positively, with some pride in the community again, a lot of those crime problems would fade away. People who are proud of their community don't look the other way when something is amiss; they speak up or act to fix it.

We used to be called "The Land of Pleasant Living." Then, a generation later, in the 70s, you would see bumper stickers everywhere that read "There's no life west of the Chesapeake Bay." Salisbury was the "Crossroads of Delmarva," a commercial hub for the whole Lower Shore. We a commercial port, a potentially beautiful river running through the city, an agricultural heritage and a history as a vibrant town.

We can bring it back, revive it. But it won't happen because a leader says its so. It will happen when people start feeling proud of their community, when they take time to get to know their neighbors, keep their yards, property and streets clean and maintained. When they patronize local businesses again because those businesses are unique and good quality, offering something they want at a price they can afford. When, instead of sitting back and saying everything is someone else's job, or pointing out how incompetent everyone else is, they see a need and take action to fulfill that need, because it's the right thing to do. And that, I believe, is key to regaining our sense of identity.

Can it be done? Time will tell.