While writing for GoLaurens.com for the past few months, I have had the privilege to sit at plenty of conference tables, meet many good public servants, and witness the announcements of groundbreaking news that has changed Laurens, and will continue to do so. Yet, as I have been to all these meetings and listened to these men and women speak, I cannot help but to ask myself, “Why is it that the same people are at every conference table making decisions and leading the people of Laurens?”
Now, please do not misunderstand and let me make this very clear from the beginning. I am in no way criticizing these public servants. Many of them have made drastic improvements to our lives and are genuinely interested in helping move Laurens in a positive direction. What I am saying, however, is that while these same men and women are bettering our society, they are alone in their fight, thus you are alone in yours.
We just witnessed one of the most historic and dramatic presidential races in the course of United States history. Regardless of whom you were for and how you voted, you have to admit that being part of history is every bit as important as learning about history. Back to the subject at hand. One of the slogans of the Obama campaign was “Yes We Can.” Yes, we can end partisan politics. Yes, we can regain our moral authority in the world. Yes, we can get our economy back on the right track.
The problem is that many people have interpreted this slogan as “Yes We Can…Do It For You.” There is a big difference in these two slogans, just as there is a big difference in the words of Abraham Lincoln that government should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” For the people implies that we are giving up all of our decisions to the elected few. By the people inherently implies anarchy and self-rule. What we need is government of the people.
While our leaders are doing a good job, they do not represent an honest cross-section of Laurens residents. They are people with influence, and some with wealth. And, while there is nothing intrinsically wrong with these two attributes, it still worries me when we give up our futures to a select group, without considering the will of the people. The Roman Senators had an expression that said, “Rome is the mob.” While we may not constitute a mob, we still deserve to be heard and included. If we are not, we can never truly be in the fight. We can only be spectators, and there is neither glory nor honor in that.
So, I encourage you to take part in your community. Run for office. Attend board meetings. Know what is being decided about you, and take action. To honestly be equal, we can no longer ask people to do things for us, we must go out and do it ourselves. There is hope in that. There is freedom in that.
