Wednesday May 28, 2008
Invasion of the peace-snatchers
I live in two distinct communities.
Not because I move. But because the community\’s mood changes with the seasons.
For nine months of the year, Okanagan Centre is a quiet rural retreat. The main street, running along the lakeshore, has so few vehicles on it that people stroll down the middle, with trees arching overhead, walking their dogs. They stop to chat with neighbours. Some will even pull an occasional weed from someone else\’s garden as they pass by.
During the summer months, though, the world descends upon us, with speeding cars, rumbling trucks, and noisy boats. The only public boat launch between Kelowna and Vernon – approximately 50 km apart – is packed with people trying to get ever-larger and more powerful boats into or out of the water.
People park their boat trailers anywhere they can find room — along the roadside, in front of driveways, even on private lawns.
The roads get so congested, at times, that a fire truck couldn\’t get through if someone\’s house caught fire.
And yet some drivers still slalom through the constricted spaces at well over the speed limit.
Community disorder
Nine months of the year, there\’s no litter lying around. Three months of the year, I pick up enough discarded beer cans on my morning walks to pay for my purchases.
Nine months of the year, we don\’t need – and don\’t want — curbs and sidewalks. Three months of the year, they\’re vital to protect pedestrians.
Nine months of the year, weather permitting, I keep my windows open. I can hear birds singing, leaves rustling, and deer high-stepping along our gravel lane. Three months of the year, I keep doors and windows closed to reduce the barrage of noise coming up from the waterfront.
If psychiatric definitions could apply to a whole community, rather than to individuals, we would probably be diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) offers this definition: “Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness… causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, and ability to function.”
That\’s us in a nutshell. The community oscillates between a slow, relaxed pace of living that residents of downtown New York or Toronto would probably consider almost comatose, and something resembling manic.
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For a lighter look at ethics, faith, and life, I recommend Ralph Milton\’s weekly e-newsletter Rumors. You can subscribe to it at the Wood Lake Books home page in Ralph Milton\’s Site, or by sending a note directly to ralphmilton@woodlake.com.
It\’s also worth pursuing Charlene Fairchild\’s United Online site. Another site worth visiting is David Keating\’s \”SeemslikeGod\” page.
And like any individual suffering from bipolar disorder, we\’re bewildered by what seems to be happening to us. It seems to be out of our control. It\’s not something we\’re doing – it\’s something being done to us, by outsiders, who come, do their damage like an infectious virus, and then go, leaving us exhausted.
We react to the annual invasion with either anger or depression. Some simply feel helpless. Others call meetings and brainstorm improbable solutions. Some dream of limiting access to the whole community, putting gates across the only three access roads. A few seriously consider sabotaging those who thoughtlessly disrupt our privileged lifestyle.
Meanwhile, the situation gets worse, every summer.
The National Institute of Mental Health has good news for individuals: “Bipolar disorder can be treated.”
But how do you treat a whole community?
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Copyright © 2007 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups permitted; all other rights reserved.
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