There’s a lot of discussion underway about the rural/urban divide. It’s a real problem — politically, socially, economically, and culturally — but rare are the discussions about possible solutions.
Here are a few ideas:
1) One of the best ways to understand a different culture or lifestyle is through immersion. Let’s start an “exchange program” wherein community influencers from the Front Range trade places with community influencers from the Western Slope for a few months and then share what we’ve learned. I’m reminded of an interview I did with former Meekerite Fred Ellis many years ago about his “cowboy” summer camp for the children of inmates. I was astounded to learn that many of the kids Ellis brought to the Flat Tops for camping and horseback riding would otherwise never leave something like an 18-block radius of their generally urban homes. Spending a week in the wilderness opened their eyes to new customs and culture, a totally different way of living than what they knew.
2) Let’s change the way bills and initiatives are introduced into the legislature. Bills should require support or sponsorship from legislators representing both rural and urban communities. If rural representatives and urban representatives had to sit down and discuss issues before a bill is ever read or assigned to committee, I’d guess a lot of bills would never see the light of day.
We’re not the first people group here to have our way of life threatened by “outsiders” who don’t understand our customs and culture. Perhaps we should take a look back at history and see if things could have been handled differently by both sides for a better outcome.
Just a thought.
By NIKI TURNER – editor@editorht1885.com
