By Colleen Gundlach
Living is Norfolk is somewhat like living in a time capsule. It is a very pleasant capsule, one that allows us to encircle ourselves in our beautiful town and enjoy all of its pleasures. It allows us to be free of some of the intense worries that accompany life in larger towns and cities and enables us to be very different from some other areas of our state. Make no mistake about it, we are different.
When we leave for our out-of-town place of employment fully clad in our heaviest winter coat and boots and arrive at work to find not a flake of snow on the ground, we are different. When an area non-profit organization applies for a grant that is questioned because the population it serves is only 1 percent minority and there is no minority representation on its board of directors, we are different. When we can send our children out to play and worry more about the bears than the traffic, we are different.
On page —- of this issue, Lloyd Garrison reports on Norfolk’s rating as the number one small town with a population of less than 3,500. As the magazine points out, much of Norfolk’s success stems from the many cultural and economic advantages that we enjoy. In addition, we have excellent schools and teachers, dedicated town officials, and friendly neighbors.
How long before the outside world intrudes into our time capsule? Crime, drugs, and racial hatred are all around us, just waiting to move in. The moral fabric of our society is tearing away and it won’t be long before it rips into Norfolk. A man in a neighboring town was arrested last month in an Internet sex sting, and Norfolk recently had what may be its first drug bust. The real world is out there, and coming closer.
It is okay for us to enjoy our pristine and comfortable town, but we need to protect it as well. Until we can make a real change in the morality and conscience of others as well as ourselves, Norfolk will not be able to remain as unspoiled and serene as it is.
When I was a child, I was given a gold-colored ruler at school. If I recall correctly, we were given one of those rulers on the first day of every public school year. On it were printed the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is a biblical commandment, and thus is not distributed in school anymore. Funny, though, I don’t remember any of my classmates having guns in class, or threatening to blow up the building, or having to worry about being kidnapped.
In Norfolk, we are very fortunate. We treat each other with respect and try not to do things to our neighbors that we wouldn’t want our neighbors to do to us. Could that be the real secret of our success?