I hope Neil Young will remember (and I can use a reminder myself)

For better or worse, I have returned. I should begin by thanking all of you all for your support and good wishes during my absence. Much has happened since our last chat, and I am naturally tempted to discuss the Ukraine situation. The information coming from that part of the world is, whether by accident or intent, unreliable and unlikely to remain unstable in the coming days. My only observation is that while I instinctively support a nascent democracy (as most of us do), my enthusiasm is tempered by Ukraine’s historic track record of trading allegiances between east and west.

When caught between two foes in the mid 17th century, Ukraine broke a standing treaty with Poland to side with the more powerful neighbor, Russia. Since then, switching sides has too frequently become a tool of defense in the Ukrainian arsenal. That tool was used frequently throughout the European wars of the 20th century, and sadly, included collaboration with the Nazis and participation in genocidal atrocities. Additionally, the history of Ukraine is also peppered with civil conflict, which will lend plausibility to any “false flag” operations that are reportedly being considered by the Kremlin as a pretext for invasion.

Suffice it to say that I do not wish to see Ukraine fall under Mr. Putin’s sphere of influence and may even enjoy seeing him take a black eye from Ukrainian Guerrillas, but make no mistake, our allies in Europe are well aware of the history of Ukraine. They suffer no illusions that Ukrainians are all Boy Scouts, and as events unfold, we would be wise to remember the same.

Back at home, we have continued a public conversation about our response to the Covid virus and the usually tranquil Canadians have entered the discussion. Most recently, a protest among truckers has shown that the usually gentle hand of the Canadian government is capable of forming a fist and the Boy Prime Minister has chosen to use it.

Also in recent press is a flap between Canadian musician Neil Young and American pseudo-celebrity, Joe Rogan. I only knew Rogan as a b-list standup comic, yet Rogan also reportedly had a successful career in the mixed martial arts business (not on my radar), but has found his true calling as a podcast host.

It seems that Rogan interviewed a medical doctor whose sin was that of holding opinions about COVID outside the normative views of the medical community. By now, most of us are aware that Mr. Young took exception to Mr. Rogan’s discussion of alternative medical views and asked that his (Young’s) music be withdrawn from Spotify, a distribution channel used by Rogan and a multitude of other artists. Young’s withdrawal from the platform was followed by artists Nils Lofgren, Barry Manilow and Joni Mitchell (former girlfriend of bandmate Graham Nash), and others.

Personally, Neil Young’s singing voice reminds me of a squeaky wheel on a shopping cart, but his role in 1960’s counterculture is undeniable. He is a cultural icon. If he has a thorn in his paw, he has the gravitas to speak his mind in any number of forums and would very likely have been welcomed by Joe Rogan himself. Wouldn’t it have been better for him to engage with Rogan and shed light on the topic?

Instead of initiating a dialogue, Young chose to take his marbles and go home. Unfortunately, that’s not an uncommon response to conflict. I know I am guilty of doing the same, and I see it in others as well.

A few weeks back, I was invited to join a social media group that was dedicated to complaining about our fair city, McCook. Yes. Complaining about McCook. My initial instinct was that I would probably be out of place in such a group. I was correct, but I joined anyway just to take a look.

It didn’t go well. It would seem that hiding here amidst our tireless organizers, elected officials and service organizations doing good work in our community, we have a sub-culture of Neil Youngs. Among their concerns are the availability of affordable housing, dislikes about Heritage Days, a multitude of fast-food related issues, and the perennial complaint of the downtrodden–a lack of activities for uninspired teenagers.

In all cases, the message was clear: They saw much that was wrong with the world, but any personal involvement in changes was off the table. I suspect that many members of the group don’t feel empowered to participate, which is sad. It was also clear to me that some wouldn’t know where to start if they wanted to, which is less sad than unnecessary.

Like Mr. Young, they would better serve themselves by participating in the process, and in doing so, they would have input. They would learn that attracting builders and businesses, funding and creating amenities and managing events is a lot of work, and I have it on good authority that McCook’s clubs and committees could use an extra hand. The question then becomes, “are they truly enabled?”

I took a few economic development classes at Penn State and we spent a lot of time talking about “Community Capacity.” The term applies to the capital, infrastructure and mechanisms to be put in place in anticipation of a development opportunity. I would gently suggest that maintaining a fresh batch of volunteers would be an important part of that capacity, so this concerns all of us.

To the organizers in the community, thank you. Keep doing what you are doing. I know you invite folks to join the team, but sometimes walls need to be kicked down. Yes, we need the help, but empowering people is an even greater mission and is very satisfying in itself.

To those who prefer to complain, and people like me who simply disengage, get involved. Woody Allen is reported to have said, “Showing up is 80 percent of life.” Public notice, or “sunshine” laws ensure that governmental meetings are open to the public and announced well in advance. Clubs and committees just need help and are unlikely to exclude serious participants.

I hope Neil Young will remember, as all of us should remember, that it is more productive to engage in the discussion than to stand on the sidelines. The Canadian truckers aren’t standing on the sidelines, and Ukrainian soldiers can’t. Let’s try to do more than complain in McCook.