An
Open Question May 3rd,
2023
One of the noun definitions for concern is: a matter that
engages a person’s attention, interest or care, or that affects a person’s
welfare or happiness.
What are your concerns? What can you do about them?
A month ago I picked up a book: How To Read Non-fiction Like a Writer, by Thomas C. Foster, 2020. I
read lots of non-fiction: history, memoir, eyewitness accounts, essays and
satire. And because I feel the constant urge to write, I figured this would be
a good read. It was and it is.
Mr. Foster sums up the problem by telling us that what
we need when we read non-fiction is to
think better. And we can think better by asking good questions. Then
he encourages us to act like an editor. It’s
up to us to filter out baloney, misdirection and straight up lies. He further
refines it: …interrogate the text, asking
that series of questions about appropriateness and accuracy and logic that must
be asked. (p. 249)
I simply ask: Does this make sense (to you, to me)? What
type of writing am I reading? What is the source of the statement or claim? Is
there a bias in play, the author’s or my own? What are the credentials of the
writer? Why did she or he write the piece? Who do I think the piece was written
for?
Having spent almost a month casting about for the next
person or organization to interview or highlight, I can’t choose the next
subject. Whidbey Island has a large number of organizations, public and private
that address not only problems, but needs. The everyday problems I read about
and that society grapples with often seem too complex, too interwoven and
unsolvable in the sense that no one agrees on even minimal steps to address the
solutions. Compromise used to work as a method to reach a solution. Now it’s a
dirty word.
A couple I know are seriously considering the best place
to live outside of the United States. They want to live where children are not
gunned down in their schools. Others recite the latest horrors they have seen
on the news, ending with a shake of the head, hands thrown in the air. And yet
we go on.
The things I hear Island County residents complain about
include: crime, drugs, the police, the homeless, hunger, no affordable housing,
politics, fringe groups, too many visitors and the ferry system.
Very few express any kind of satisfaction with the
condition of the world. But they also say that we are so lucky to live on
Whidbey Island. They cite the natural beauty, small town atmosphere, it’s a
good place to raise kids, and friendliness. Everywhere else is awful, but
Island County shines.
Author David Brooks believes that Americans are faced
with a clear choice going forward. He says: …we’re in the middle of a moral struggle over who we are as a nation. What are the two choices? Brooks says that one
view is that we live in a dog-eat-dog world…that might makes right. The
opposite of this is a belief in human dignity and that each of us matters.
Cooperation rather than isolation.
Yes, we live in a polarized country. Changing someone’s
mind is usually not possible. The point is to work together on what we agree is
important and worthy of our energy. What is important to you, what matters to
you, as a resident of Island County?
Mike Diamanti
Please send me your suggestions for additional “Island
County Concerns” topics and subject matter via email:
islandcountyconcerns@gmail.com