One of my favorite quotes is by an anonymous Greek who said, “No man loves his city because it is great, but because it is his.” Similarly G.K. Chesterton once wrote “Men did not love Rome because she was great, she was great because they loved her.” These maxims were recently brought to mind by a conversation I had with a new friend of mine who just re-located to Tyler, from Austin. He was telling me of his love for the city he had just left, and while fond of his new surroundings, he admitted that the transition had been a little difficult. As we spoke I began to contemplate my own relationship with my hometown. What is it that keeps me coming back to Tyler? What are the aspects that despite the sometimes, frustrating inconveniences of relatively small town life, make Tyler, Texas my city? What aspects of our community life make Tylerites unique, and give us character?
When I was growing up, more than anything I wanted out of Tyler. I realize this sentiment is far from unusual for young people in almost any city. At my first opportunity I traveled around fairly extensively. I’d leave, come home, leave again and return. I’d take teaching positions at little private schools here and there, but whether I was in New Orleans or St. Paul, I would eventually feel the pull of my old hometown. So what is it about Tyler? I’m an Anglo- Catholic (meaning conservative Episcopalian), living in a city that is predominately Baptist. I find the smoking ban to be a restrictive fad, the dry county law a nuisance that actually creates more problems than it prevents, and I miss being able to pick up the phone and have nearly any kind of food I want delivered to my front door, when I don’t want to cook. On the other hand, I love local Texas Barbeque, fall football, and raising my son with traditional values, in a politically conservative community.
So in recent years I’m finding that I’m growing out of my youthful notions of what it means to be from Tyler. Instead I’m exploring new ones. I’m finding new things to revel in and love about my city, things like Brady’s Coffee Shop, Bruno’s Pizza, the Purple Pig and Stanley’s Barbeque. My son lives for a weekend visit to the Caldwell Zoo and I’m enjoying the community that happens around a high school football game, or the East Texas Fair. I really enjoy a cool drive to work over the brick streets of the azalea district in the morning, (and no I don’t live there). To those who balk at my thoughts as silly nostalgia, let me say two things. First autumn is the season for nostalgia. And second, go away for a while. If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll be back, and when you return the city will look different to you. Make no mistake Tyler’s shortcomings won’t simply vanish in your absence, but her good points will loom just a little larger. I still get itchy feet now and again. But after a little travel and exploration coming home is never drudgery anymore. There are certainly other cities and places that I love, but I’m realizing more and more that Tyler, while it may not be a “great” city, at least not yet, it is for better or worse, my city.
Texas to Ban Texting and Driving
May 27th, 2011Well, the Texas Senate has passed a law banning texting while driving, but the ban has yet to become law at this point. Instead it has been sent back to the House to approve a change in verbiage that is actually a significant change. The bill’s author, Senator Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat from Laredo, included reading texts, (or anything), in the band. The changes to the bill would make it a crime to write or send a text while the vehicle is moving, but not specifically to read them. Senator Zaffifini was not pleased with making the ban less restrictive, but wanted the process to go forward despite the change. Now this is going to strike some readers as ridiculous, but I have to say that, at this point, I’m not for it!
On the surface it seems like a slam dunk. We all have stories we could tell of people becoming involved in accidents because they were trying to text while driving. I certainly don’t deny that it’s extremely unwise. But the question for me is; where does the legislation end? Should we pass a law that says you can’t tune the radio and drive? Or how about eat and drive? Maybe drink and drive, (and no I don’t mean alcohol, I mean anything). Cherry lime-aids are particularly dangerous if one goes rooting around the bottom of the cup looking for cherries when the drink is gone. This seems like more nanny- state legislation to me. And for some reason, we in Texas are really susceptible to peer- pressure. If a big fancy state like New York has it, we should too! It’s the same thinking that brought that ludicrous smoking ban to Tyler.
No one can possibly argue that texting and driving are, two things that go great together; nor is smoking good for you, nor is eating too much red meat! Hey! And you know what? Sitting too close to the TV is hard on the eyes! Oh and it’s a bad idea to swim after eating! Maybe pools should be held liable if I cramp up while swimming. Government, local, state, or national, does not exist to protect us from every risk. But we have lost the ability to distinguish what is unwise, from what is unlawful, and given a few years, we’re all going to be so mired down in petty rules and regulations we’re not going to be able to turn around without some do-gooder or other handing us a ticket.
“So what would you do? HUH?!” Well I don’t know… For starters, I’ve no opposition to raising the driving age a bit. I’d wager that a large portion of the offenders are young people anyway. Surely not all, but most I expect. But maybe we as citizens just need to be more responsible. I understand the good intentions here. Honestly I’d probably be hard pressed to find anyone who defends the right to text and drive. But at some point we’ve got to stop trying to legislate common sense.
Tags: Accidents, Aids, Alcohol, Bad Idea, Cherries, Cherry Lime, Cramp, Democrat, Hard On The Eyes, Judith Zaffirini, Laredo, Nanny State, Pools, Reading Texts, Red Meat, Slam, Smoking Ban, State Legislation, Texas Senate, Texas texting and driving, Tyler Texas, Verbiage
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