It’s easy to be a complainer. And the myriad websites and social media make it easier than ever to take this role in society.
When you see something that is not being done well, you can log into Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and post pictures of the atrocity, whether it’s a litter-strewn concert site or a weedy lawn bowling green. Or you can write a letter to the editor, perhaps a more eloquent way to express your disappointment and to shame others into doing what you see as their job.
Another option is to post on a website, below news stories, using a fake name; that way you can say anything and be as fierce as the web administrator allows while hidden behind the cloak of anonymity.
Your post will be commented on or shared, mostly by others who agree with you and add their own complaints about someone or some organization that is not doing its job.
The key assumption is that it’s always their job to make things better. After all, we pay taxes, so it’s fair to demand these services, right? We all do our own jobs, so they should do theirs.
But this is not how Squamish was built. This past weekend was perfect evidence that great things come about because people step forward to help make our community better. Squamish Days Loggers Sports was run by a group of volunteers, assisted by many more volunteers, who staged a packed weekend of fun events. In fact, they even decided to extend the festival into five days by adding a B.C. Day picnic. The exhausted volunteers kept working and working – until they returned to their paid jobs on Tuesday morning – all to make Squamish a better place for residents and visitors.
It’s this spirit of “I’ll do it” that builds great places. In Berlin, after the Second World War, the women decided they needed an airport as the city’s had been bombed due to the real atrocities of their Nazi government. According to local lore, the women of Berlin piled up the good bricks and rebuilt the airport with their own hands. They knew so much needed to be done to rebuild their country, and so many of the men were dead, that they had better do it themselves so Germany could forge ahead and prosper.
Think of how strong our community would be if we all acted like Squamish Days volunteers or the post-war women of Berlin and simply got it done, instead of complaining.
– Editor Christine Endicott
