Scoping Out Opportunities for Improvement

Between the Lines
I am a Cape May County transplant. Having just moved down here this past summer, I can already attest to the fact that I love it here. The folks are friendly, the beaches are beautiful (though I could do without the seasonal beach-tag fee), and the dining (for the most part) is delish. But it didn’t take long before I took that “resident mentality” to heart—by Fourth of July weekend, I was both thankful for and frustrated by the bazillion tourists who are both the lifeblood of the economy and the impediment of a peaceful weekend. Let’s be honest, it’s a love/hate relationship, but in the end, this land is your land and this land is our land, from Upper Township down to Cape Island.
Keeping in mind that I probably won’t be confident in considering myself a bonafide local until I’ve lived here for a good 10 years or so, I am looking forward to becoming a part of the community. In the past I’ve lived in small towns and big cities both, but have never felt an overwhelming desire to understand how local government works. Yes, I voted every four years, but that scale was (and always will be) so much larger than what we have right here in Anytown, U.S.A. That’s not to say that presidential elections aren’t important, of course they are. But on a local level, I’m beginning to see agents of change right here in the community.
I’m thinking specifically of what recently went down in Stone Harbor. Not too long ago, the borough proposed the building of a Sept. 11 memorial park. When a group of individuals who would directly be impacted by its creation spoke out against the proposed location and cost, the borough council listened, deliberated, and worked hard to reimagine a tribute that would make all citizens proud. Do you know what that clapping sound is? That’s democracy patting itself on the back.
Without revealing too much of my idealistic side, I will say that being an observer on the outskirts of local government is, at a first glance, inspiring. I can see that the average townsperson can make a difference if he/she is willing to put forth a little effort and rally his/her neighbors, family or friends. I’m not saying it’s easy to birth change—anything worth fighting for never is—but as taxpayers, no one who feels passionately about any given issue should sit back and let come what may.
Consider however, that contrary to popular belief, Mahatma Gandhi never said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” What he did say was, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.” The difference between the misquote and the actual one are subtle yet significant. The former suggests that one person’s efforts are sufficient enough to bring great change in the world. Gandhi was not quite as nearsighted; he understood that people need people to succeed and, as nice as it may be to believe that one individual can change the world, more often than not it takes a movement of like-minded individuals to make things happen.
So where does that leave us way down here in southern South Jersey? Cape May County has many of the same issues as any other area in the country as well as a whole heap of concerns that are unique, town-by-town. Whether you feel the need for a stop sign in your neighborhood or want to help crack down on the cancerous heroin epidemic, you certainly don’t have to fight any battle alone. There are organizations to join, support groups and charities to sponsor, and a vast multitude of interlocking movements to research virtually, just by typing your own particular passions into your preferred Internet search engine. When it comes down to it, there is really no excuse for not speaking your mind, ruffling feathers, making some waves or just trying to make better what you see as needing improvement. It’s actually easier than ever to do so! You just gotta ask yourself: “How can I help?”
And yes there is work and/or school and/or family and yes these things are all vital to your existence and require your full and undivided attention always. How can you possibly dig out an extra piece of yourself to devote even the slightest effort when every last ounce of you is already occupied with the mere goings-on of everyday life? And while you’re considering that rhetorical question, here’s another: Do you think that someone, somewhere, eventually will take up your secret cause and run with it? They will, surely, right? Perhaps… but maybe not. And if they don’t, well then you have to ask yourself if you are OK with the fact that someday you will leave this earth and, when that time comes (hopefully much further down the road), whatever it was that you wanted to accomplish for the betterment of your town or Cape May County (or N.J. or America or the world) remained undone because you never gave yourself the chance to give it your all. It’s just something to think about anyway. I’m thinking about it anyway. I haven’t taken on any specific cause just yet so perhaps these words may seem somewhat hypocritical. But as I said before, I just got here. Currently, I am mostly content standing back and admiring those who feel the need to speak up and join their voices together for like-causes. If you are looking for inspiration to motivate yourself, look to them—the change-makers. Ask them how they do it. Maybe you’ll learn something about drive and desire. Maybe you’ll become the next Gandhi! Who knows?!
But for me, for now, as a recent transplant to Cape May County, I’m really just happy to be here, scoping out the opportunities for improvement.