Will dredging accomplish its intended purpose — removal of massive sediment; removal of poisons swept in by years of neglect and abuse; creation of habitat conducive to nature; restoration of a desirable environment appealing to community members, our children and the world alike? But there are several dredging processes needed before this area is revitalized. Many believe simply removing unwanted elements is the answer while ignoring behaviors causing current problems. Others dismiss a problem exists. While still others hastily exit the area, ripe with resignation and disgust. Planned lake dredging operations appear promising. Social attitude dredging remains elusive, ignored, passed by on a pleasant Sunday boating excursion.

How does a community rid itself of social attitude contamination — thought processes which stagnate, corrupt, threaten and destroy?

Human imagination offers positive solutions. Ignorance, fear, complacency or zealous ambition offer nothing but unhealthy antiquated examples of themselves. If left to accumulate, contaminants such as bigotry, ethnicism, environmental complacency and community narcissism become an unstable social construct upon which unhealthy communities are built. Thus when social change arises these “contaminated sediments” offer shaky foundations, threatening to crumble community and rational vision. And when local media, religious institutions, community leaders perform astonishing verbal acrobatics in avoiding these long-ignored issues, one must question their intentions and integrity. Communities unwilling to change medieval thought processes end up hostage to unconstructive immoral foundations lurking just beneath a deceptively smooth Blue Zones surface.

No machine or holy book or committee or high-wire acrobatics can remove contaminated social sediments from human behavior. Those persons stuck in this muck — now mired chin deep in self-obsession, arms flailing, vision clouded — must themselves enact some personal reflection upon an antiquated misguided chosen path. It’s time contaminated personal/community behavior be identified and removed. It’s time to dredge.

 

Patrick Cunningham
Twin Lakes