My sincere apologies to my old friends in Gilbert, Arkansas, for not asking them first if it would be okay to move the capitol of the United States to their quaint town on the banks of the Buffalo National River in Northwest Arkansas. I’m almost certain that such a drastic change would take some getting used to, but I know a lot of people in the Gilbert area, and I can tell you right now that they would be all about getting the job done and doing it right, all the while very aware that what was taking place would affect a lot of people besides themselves, and knowing these folks like I do, they would take the task quite seriously on behalf of everyone. Moving the capitol of a country would not be a small job, but in the case of Our Land, moving the American capitol to Gilbert, Arkansas, might not be a bad idea at all.
If this sounds crazy, then maybe you haven’t noticed what’s taking place in our country in recent years. America is changing, and not so much in the best of ways for the citizens who live in Our Land outside the metropolitan areas, and most specifically Washington D.C. In the big cities and the current political centers of America, making a living, and living out your life, are much different things than they are outside those places. The cities are fast paced, both in employment and in basic functions of survival. The lights never go out, the noise never stops, and the concept of relaxation many times involves leaving the area to find some sort of peace and quiet. And since that isn’t as easy as it sounds when you live there, because your time is limited and mostly filled with getting to and fro just doing your basic life tasks, people become accustomed to searching for their relaxation inside the busyness of the city itself, with it’s unending and ever-growing list of extracurricular activities and offerings for the increasingly hungry population who need something besides work to make them feel like they are truly living. From the outside looking in, it seems a lot of people are trapped on a motorized hamster wheel on high speed.
On the other end of this spectrum are the small and medium sized towns of America. And there is a marked difference that you can see and feel if you have spent even a little time in both places. In Our Land outside the cities, there’s a noticeable focus on family and community that always trumps progress and it’s pursuits. Always. And in cases where progress tries to overthrow community, it is those pursuits that are obviously out of place, not the community and it’s people. In fact, you can sense that these people will defend their right to relax if need be, and often do, by thwarting overly progressive ideals in the interest of preserving a way of life they seek for future generations. There’s a balance in these areas, whether by choice or by force of situation, that causes people to slow down just a bit, giving them time to notice their neighbors and friends and families and what they might be experiencing in a world we all have to live in together. In these smaller communities all across the country, personal pursuits usually give way to the betterment of everyone, lest all should suffer. Call it common sense if you will. It is. And with humans, common sense proves itself over and over to be the best way to live. It’s exactly how the Bible explains the best way to live and lo and behold the Bible is dead on. Turns out when you think as highly of your neighbor as you do yourself, and actually take the time to act on that conviction, everyone prospers. Which explains why you seldom see abandoned cars on the side of the road in rural areas and why you see multitudes of abandoned cars in the cities … people stop and help each other in rural areas.
It’s not to say that people living in cities do not think of others. That’s taking what I’m saying somewhere I did not send it. I am simply pointing out that decisions made in our government these days seem to be more focused on how to navigate and survive in the cities and political centers than it is on how to make it in smaller towns and communities. And more and more, the policies adopted and put into place by our government seem designed to put everyone into a category of their own, rather than focus on the original category of American, all together as one, working toward the betterment of all. It was and is, by the way, the small towns and communities that grow into the larger cities. But as the populations grow, it’s almost certain the ideas and plans will grow as well, but not always in the best of ways for the physical and mental health of the people who live there. There’s something very real and good about the old phrase ‘less is more’. And in America, it would be wise for us all to slow down and consider that maybe we have more than enough already to be satisfied, and the time has come to shift our focus back on communities and the families that make up the true spirit of America.
Which is why I suggest moving the capitol of Our Land to Gilbert. Obviously, the politicians in D.C. have forgotten the rest of the country, as evidenced by the irresponsible ways they make decisions for the rest of us, and how they continually spend our money on things that are of no benefit to the majority of us. Just maybe, by moving the capitol to Gilbert, those politicians would have to drive through the rest of the country and see what rural America is actually all about. They would have to stay in the family owned hotels, motels and river cabins in the area, where they would maybe understand how difficult it is to operate a business outside the Washington D.C. beltway, where they are accustomed to spending our tax dollars wildly with no regard to sensibility. Perhaps they would notice how the people running these business go out of their way to help you, and how you quickly feel safe and secure there, and like old friends with the owners of these places overnight. The politicians would have to drive several miles to find a Walmart or a Costco, which might help them understand that convenience is concept, not a right. And if the politicians’ car broke down in the middle of the night, they would maybe see how it feels to not be in fear that you are in immediate danger, rather you suddenly have time to look up into the clear skies and see the edges of the Milky Way with your own eyes while you wait on the next car to drive by which will almost certainly stop to help you.
And I’m sure there would be no fancy new capitol building in Gilbert just to pacify the politicians. In fact, there are already a few existing buildings in downtown Gilbert that can be used to have meetings and such, just as the locals do already. This would save the American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars right off the bat. And there would be no need for wasteful catering staff to whip up exotic dining experiences for the politicians. A good potluck would suffice and probably be better anyway, as some of the most fantastic cooks on the entire planet live within a 25 mile radius of downtown. A good chocolate gravy breakfast will get any politician through their day just fine.
The obvious point in all this is common sense. American politics needs a return to common sense. We don’t need drastic changes in our society. We need a return to common sense. Policies constructed from common sense work for all Americans, urban or rural. We are all American citizens, all living under the same American flag, and all serving the same God, who by the way, does not seem to differentiate when it comes to serving each other in the ways He has laid out for us all in undeniably the only true way to coexist in any society, and especially the one we find ourselves in today.
In my old radio disc jockey days, a friend of mine and myself decided to help Nancy Reagan and the country save some money when she, as First Lady, wanted to spend 210,000 on new china for the White House. We promptly got on the airwaves of the radio station and began to solicit donations from listeners of any old unused plates, saucers, cups and silverware they would be willing to donate so that we could box it all up and send it to the White House. Common sense in practice. But when I called the White House and made it all the way to Nancy’s secretary, all I got back was a friendly chuckle, the mailing address for sending the package, and a polite thank you for the effort.
Just as our gift of dinnerware wasn’t accepted then, the capitol will likely not be moved to Gilbert. But there’s a ray of hope if we all wake up and work toward taking Our Land back to the basics of common sense. It begins with who we put into positions of power over us, and we must elect people to office who truly want to make America great.
Again.