Larry Taylor — empathy stories

In the past, places and opportunities for the “community” to gather and enjoy each other’s company with no political or economic agenda may have existed in this county. Currently they do not. We gather for other purposes such as church, ballgames, club and school activities. There is, however, always a planned activity or agenda, leaving no time for interaction other than obligatory pleasantries. I’m sure we have a lingering concept of a sense of “community” and what “community space” could provide, however, we’ve not been asked to verbalize those concepts.

Hale County is facing some remarkable challenges: lack of funding for County government, loss of jobs and revenue due to business closings, inability to attract new business and industry, lack of planning, infrastructure and resources, reputation, “brain drain” or the inability to keep our best young people in the county and, most importantly, lack of leadership and vision. Problems of this magnitude are never solved politically and what relief comes from throwing money at them, ours or someone else’s, is fleeting.

Problem solving begins at a much lower level than either politics or economics. It begins at that level where individuals realize that, in spite of our political, religious, racial, and socioeconomic differences, we are, indeed, a “community”, and as such we are obligated to look beyond the fact that we simply live close to one another and embrace the concepts of sharing, caring, participation, and fellowship that are what “community” really is.

One area where community shines is in the ability to put capable, responsible people in elected positions. Politics, religion, race, and economic conditions all create factions in the elective process that foster the election of the worst possible candidates, not the best. To sacrifice leadership and vision simply to gain political advantage over another group profits only the very few who are able to control those elected. The community suffers for their gain. Electing the best possible candidate; the ones who seek office for the right reasons, is a learning process. Hale County, surely, has learned enough from the most recent elections to not repeat those same mistakes. We have wasted foolish amounts of time placing blame. Certainly, we can be more productive. It should not matter which race is in “control” or whose “turn” it is. The common interest and problems we share within this county should dictate that we seek the best and brightest candidates for office...those who understand “community”.

When we, once again, are accountable for the impact our actions have on our neighbors’ lives, when we realize that if one among us hurts, needs, or is unaccounted for we are all diminished a bit, then, once again, we can reclaim our vision of “community.”

Larry Taylor

President, Moundville Telephone Company

Publisher, Moundville Times. Moundville, Alabama

Outsidein. A Community Space for Hale County.