To The Point


Our main topic this week is “unity” or “unity of purpose.” Following al-Qaida’s infamous attack on our nation, the 9/11 Commission Report said, “We have come together with a unity of purpose because or nation demands it. The nation was unprepared.”

“The most important failure was one of imagination,” the report continued. “We do not believe leaders understood the gravity of the threat.”

“Imagination,” said Albert Einstein, “is more important than knowledge.”

Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington D.C., our political climate has become increasingly partisan. Instead of meeting in the middle and working toward solutions, people are standing on the fringes and yelling at each other. We have forgotten that we share many common goals and should work on achieving these goals together.

It has been a while since Munday suffered a tragedy. Many of us remember the last one too well. We do not relish an enactment of that terrible time. We don’t want a tragedy of any kind to come our way.

With that thought in mind, no one will mind if I step in here and try to prevent a tragedy from happening. For the most part Munday is a community of like-minded individuals. At least that is what we all want to believe. Okay, if we are like-minded does that mean we do not have a mind of our own? Bear with me here.

When Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told an audience in London she was "ashamed" that President Bush came from Texas, she had no reason to think her words would cause country music stations in parts of the United States to boycott the trio's latest album and their best-selling hit single, "Travelin' Soldier."

It wasn't just that she was caught up in Europe's antiwar spirit; something more profound is in play here. Maines lives and works in artsy, liberal Austin. Her remark wouldn't cause a ruckus among the like-minded transplants who have moved there in droves over the past two decades (including Maines, who hails from the decidedly less liberal West Texas city of Lubbock).

I propose that we are like-minded on many subjects, or ojects, but, that we all have a tendency to have a mind of our own. And when we are in the “mind of our own” mode, we become close-minded to other ideas: the ideas of other people. Some of us are closed to any ideas other than our own. Now, if you can convince these like-minded people that what you are saying is really their idea, bingo, you have a semblance of unity. At least between the two of you.

My point is: we need unity in Munday. We need a unity of purpose to survive as a town. When people talk about survival the theme is usually “survival of the fittest.” That means someone comes out on top and is king of the hill. We don’t need a king in Munday. We need a whole town surviving against the odds. The odds are all those things that work together, as in unity, to destroy small towns like Munday.

Now, the unpleasant part of my whole point is this: Munday has an abundance of wanna-be kings. Some will not play with the rest of us if they can’t be the quarterback calling the plays. Others refuse to play if they have to agree with Joe Schmo’s ideas. Some won’t play this game because, well, we’ve played it before and it wasn’t any fun then. People’s excuses, reasons, for not cooperating are many and, well, quite rediculous.

People of Munday, it is time for ALL of US to put aside our selfish feelings and ideas, and pull together. If we want to survive as a community we MUST cooperate with each other. And to cooperate we MUST stop talking about each other and tearing each other apart; this is negative and works against Munday. Instead we need to build up each other, encouraging everyone. Like-minded folks will put the best interest of Munday first and foremost. It will be for US, WE WILL overcome. WE WILL survive, together!

When you put in a good word for Munday, you are putting in a good word for all of US. We are one, WE are for the survival and growth of Munday. It’s onward and upward: there are no alternate routes.