“I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, ‘In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’” – Bruce Springsteen
In this week of Thanksgiving, despite the challenges everyone confronts, we have much to feel good about. Anyone reading this has some connection to Cape Cod that enhances their life and that is worth acknowledging and celebrating. While every era comes with its own challenges, recency bias has left a lot of us feeling weighed down more than usual by current events. Hence, the hopeful reminder above is perhaps especially resonant in this week of thanks—that collectively, we just might have enough in the tank to pull us through the challenges of the day.
It is important and good for the soul to pause and appreciate the accomplishments and good things we have. It is also equally important to think about if “good enough” is actually good enough. One measure of our humanity is how we treat those around us, especially those less fortunate or facing hard times. Another measure is how we treat the world we inhabit and what our collective stewardship leaves for those that follow. In this regard, I would suggest that just enough is in fact not good enough. How we treat our land, air, and water both reflects and is a measure of our underlying humanity.
Cape residents have made great progress toward improving water quality, restoring degraded natural resources, and living in greater harmony with the natural world. That said, we all know we can—no, must—strive for better. This week at APCC, we will reflect on and appreciate the positive impact that we, with your support and encouragement, have achieved this past year. I encourage you all to do the same. But next week, let us all continue to turn hope into action and a renewed commitment to do more for the world around us.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
