Barbourville Advocate Column - Knox County/Exciting Times

What exciting times to be writing as there are so many different topics and things happening everywhere we turn. Nationally there is the great discussion of who will the Republican Party select as their Presidential candidate. Nationally we have much to debate about with respect to our Country. Are we in a 2nd recession, what must be done to get the economy going again, and how should we view the crowds gathering in are larger metropolitan cities that are protesting everything from Wall Street, mortgage companies, banks to our elected officials. At the top of the list locally we have a wet dry petition that is being circulated not to mention the on-going issue of drugs that continues to plaque Knox County. So much to write about a so few words within the scope of this column.
I write that this is exciting times, and I believe that these are. It is exciting because I believe that the answer for our communities will be found within ourselves. Yes, there are always going to be outside influences and organizations that promote one position over another, and for this writer, this is exciting. Each of us has the opportunity to be involved and make a difference. When I talk with folks I see the leadership skills, the vision casting capabilities possessed by so many, and we can look around and see great successes discovered when people work together. We have the new wellness center that is a shining example of what happens when people decide to make a difference for everyone. Everyone in Knox County and even the surrounding counties will benefit from the new aquatic opportunities that were created because of that vision. The general health and wellbeing of our citizens now has a new opportunity to take personal responsibility for their individual health, because civic leaders, elected officials, and citizens decided to make something happen.
Yes, exciting times indeed, but certainly not without debate and disagreement. When I think about Barbourville-Knox County I think about all the good that is within each of us to make a difference by being a friend, giving a helping hand, listening with a clear conscious and first and foremost working to the benefit of others over ourselves. Sometimes we individuals have the ability to overlook the important things, and the previous sentence is a key to making our home the place we each want it to be. “Working to the benefit of others over ourselves”. One of the most negative impacting actions anyone can take is to remain uninvolved. Not taking a stand, not sharing your opinion, not giving of your resources, not extending a helping hand is a mistake that individuals often make. Sure, no one wants to be rejected. No one wants to have their thought discarded or their belief not taken seriously but all of these experiences are a part of getting involved and creating a dialog that gives the opportunity for a difference to be made.
Meaningful relationships are one key to making a difference. Yes, we can all do things out of devotion and duty, but that is not what I am writing about. The Bible instructs us to go one mile, and we can do that simply because the Bible tells us to, but the key to making a difference is going the second mile. This is where most of us miss the opportunity to make a difference. We go one mile and then call it quits. We give up because no one listened, or seemed to care. It can be frustrating when we are passionate and believe what we are thinking, and again, that is exciting, and that is a part of the answer.
Until then