I got my tighty-whities in a bunch last week over the emergence of "networking" in Floyd County and by letting my anger get the best of me I broke one of the cardinal rules of life here: Live and let live.
Whatever my feelings towards the practice of networking, I was wrong to castigate those who feel a need to use it to try and survive in these economically-strapped times. The original post and a follow up have been removed, along with the comments.
My apologies to readers of Muse and my thanks to those who took the time to point out that my actions were over the top. I’m a passionate man with strong opinions and sometimes I let both traits overcome judgment.
We now take you take you back to your regularly scheduled Musings…
18 thoughts on “Networkus interruptus”
Amen to that Will. Folks who are friendly and considerate of others generally find similar people everywhere they go and the converse is true as well. (There’s an old parable about that but I’ll leave that for some other time).
I’m in the real estate business and I often find myself at odds with my peers in that I don’t beleive that any and all development is good. I’m appalled when RPAC (the Realtor’s lobbying arm) endorses candidates who have a “laissez faire” attitude toward development (and business). I know there are folks in Floyd that feel they have a right to do whatever they want with their property and we should always be mindful of the rights of property owners but individual property owners don’t live in a “vacuum”. Each and every piece of land is connected to several others and owners need to think in terms of what’s good for the community as well as what’s best for themselves.
Your comment about the cost of land for younger folks hit home with me since the primary motivation for my recent land purchase was to insure that my daughter (who just married a Floyd local) would not spend the rest of her career hoping that her income would catch up with the rapidly rising land prices. We hope to build a couple of “appropriate” energy-efficient homes that will compliment the character of the area maybe even raise a new generation of Floyd “natives”.
Rick
Rick:
I can understand your frustration with RPAC since I was the NAR executive in charge of the PAC from 1987-92 as Vice President for Political Programs in Washington. During most of that time (future NAR president) Layne Morrill was RPAC chairman and we spent many hours debating the issue of handing out contributions to lukearm supporters.
We faced two challenges. First, RPAC could not give out contributions without a recommendation from the state and local Realtor organizations who too often wanted us to often support candidates with weak records on NAR issues and, second, we faced a lobbying staff more interested in buying access than rewarding those who supported the cause.
My time at the Realtors came during a sabattical from journalism to learn more about government and politics. What I learned sent me hightailing back to journalism.
I’ve been a “native” of Floyd for 25 years. I felt welcomed and encouraged by the locals when I came. They seemed to appreciate my interest in local culture, particularly the music, farming and mountain crafts. They helped me enormously and seemed happy to know that some of the newcomiers were interested in carrying on the traditional music and crafts. Some of their children had, by necessity, left to find work outside the county. Many of the “hippies” have long contributed to the tax base. Often, those of us in the arts earned money outside the county which we then brought to Floyd. I do patronise our local businesses. I’ve found friends and co-workers in all segments of Floyd’s population. One of the charms of living here has been the gracious acceptance of people whatever their choices. Up at the dairy barn, Jacksonville Center, is a furniture exhibit that celebrates the talent and diversity of our area. People of all kinds are attracted to Floyd’s beauty and oppertunities. Everything changes, nothing stays the same. The best we can do is to learn to live in harmony. Peace begins at home. Chris
I am not a native of Floyd, although I didn’t grow up far away. I think where folks come from is not very relevant. What matters is their character and the way they treat others. Floyd will continue to grow and change with new residents who aren’t from Floyd. This is reality and longing for the old days isn’t going to change that.
There are concerns I have about Floyd’s growth, but where the new folks are moving from or what they believe aren’t on the list. A concern I have that I don’t hear from others is that young people from Floyd who want to stay in Floyd County are starting to get priced out of the real estate market.
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