Changes are coming to the neighborhood! The lawn signs are down, and the last of the campaign literature is on its way to the recycler. Soon, we will see what’s beneath these “labels” and packaging on the political goods we bought. In this, my first column, I’ll consider how we can use labels to improve our community.
Labeling things can be quite useful. “Poison” labels on poison bottles prevent poisoning. A label can say in a word what we’d rather not learn from experimentation. Labeling people ca be useful, too (especially for the journalist and campaign copy writer.)
But the efficiency of people-labels is also their weakness, because they have the power to narrow people’s thinking -- even to become a substitute for thinking. The labels themselves become poison, creating a mental and moral wall between “us” and “them.” At the extreme, when we see others as “the enemy” beyond redemption, two things usually happen: we blind ourselves to opportunities for cooperation, and our bad attitude brings out the worst in them. It’s a downward spiral that wastes time, money, and lives.
Happily, people are considerably more complex, varied, and adaptive than bottles. Despite our species’ long history of mistreating its members, I’m confident we can do far better. We can start the upward spiral by using labels with more care, with a bias toward the betterment of those whom we label.
Now, let’s turn to Petaluma. For years, we’ve labeled our City Council members as part of the “majority” and “minority.” There have been deep divisions, based on truly divergent values. But recent behavior from members of the New Council suggests that those divisive labels could become obsolete.
Janice Cader-Thompson and Matt Maguire spent an October morning picking up litter on behalf of the Sonoma Mountain opponents of Lafferty Ranch Park, the very people they might call their enemies. Mike Healy, who another paper excluded from the council’s “environmental majority,” nonetheless showed up and was welcomed to the election night party for the members of that majority. OK, these may be Small Things, but they are Good Things for us to notice and nurture.
While we’re at it, let’s try a new, betterment-biased label for Peter Pfendler and the others who live around Lafferty Ranch Park: “neighbor.” Let’s see if we can, in time, come to call them “good neighbors.”
What’s my label? For now, feel free to use “environmentalist,” (or, in the words of the late eco-curmudgeon Edward Abbey, an “enviro-meddler.”) It’s an identity I hope you will grow to appreciate, and perhaps seek for yourself, if you don’t already.
What you can expect from this column is one enviromeddler’s view of events in Petaluma. Since I, like most environmentalists, believe that “everything is connected to everything,” be prepared to read about issues and ideas ranging from the global (e.g. “warming”) to the personal (e.g. “awakening”). I’ll try to stay off the Religion page without shying from the spiritual nature of protecting Mother Nature.
Readers far and near, thanks for joining me, and welcome to the neighborhood.