Happy Holidays to all. We are in the midst of a white Christmas in Salida. Enjoy the way the snow changes the beauty of our city and the surrounding countryside. To stop once in a while and to take in what an aesthetic place in which we live might help remind all of us how lucky we are to be in this amazing city, county, state and country.
The origin of our Holiday Season is thought to be from the celebration of the winter solstice a long time ago. The association of Jesus’ birth to this time of year has surely eclipsed other belief’s celebrations. The one commonality is this time is a time to reflect, reinvigorate and revel in our friends, family and community.
The Golden Rule,” Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”, is universal in all religions. My resolution this year is to remember to act on the Golden Rule every moment. I am concerned that when I label someone, without actually hearing what they have to say, I am ignoring possible feedback or information that could be valuable. This is seen everyday in polarizing discourse. Label someone and a short circuit occurs. Whatever benefit could be gained from actually listening beyond the labels becomes unavailable.
Over the past two years, as Mayor, I have met people I would normally have not had the opportunity to meet. I have learned that even those whose political or social agendas are completely contrary to mine are often doing something really positive for the community. This has helped to open my mind to what they really have to say. I have learned that everyone has something of value to share. I hope in the New Year all of us offer Salida the benefit of our viewpoints.
I wish we could all attempt to live by the Golden Rule. We can disagree and still try to understand the other party’s perspective. It is not enough to feel someone’s ideas are wrong. We also need to be able to articulate why we believe as we do and how those who believe the opposite come to their beliefs. The synergy from such an interaction can create a valuable collaboration. When we look at interactions as “winner takes all” ultimately hard feelings will result. Nothing we build is perfect. But to make it valuable to the largest number of us, the community needs to be involved in its creation.
To paraphrase Clay Jenkinson, in his book “Becoming Jefferson’s People”, Thomas Jefferson was a man of the enlightenment. He believed that Jesus is the most ethical leader of all time. He believed that if we all acted in accordance to the ethics Jesus described we would be living in an amazing place. The Golden Rule is an ethical expression of all religions. It is a great place to start.
Once again, Happy Holidays. May 2010 be your best.
Chuck Rose
Mayor, City of Salida
…Thanks Chuck!
Yeah, thanks Chuck!
Funny isn’t it – although the “Golden Rule” is one of the most universally agreed upon values, and one of the first things we try and instill in our children, it is one of the hardest codes to actually live by. I truly believe that this valley will begin it’s ascent to better times beginning this coming year, and with this ascension will be the rebirth of many of the issues that began brewing a couple of years ago before the economic downturn. Now more than ever I believe that we should think about your words, for it may be in the next decade that the future of our valley depends on our cooperation more than ever!