The defeat of the T-SPLOST has evoked a couple of post-referendum reactions in our fair city. Some are savoring the sweetness of victory, while others are in various states of dismay and disappointment. I am in the latter camp. It was a tough contest, and it was tough to lose. I wish there had been less rancor, especially in the final days leading up to the vote, but when a lot is at stake, passions run deep.
In the wake of the outcome, I want to offer three observations. The first is simply that we live in a democracy in which the people have the right and the responsibility to choose leaders, decide about taxes, etc. The majority of voters in our 10-county region were not in favor of the transportation plan.
The second observation is less apparent right now, but when the dust settles, we will see that, in spite of sharp disagreement about strategies and methods, most metro Atlantans want the same thing. We want our region to be a livable, life-enhancing place. We want people to be able to get from place to place. We want there to be enough jobs. We want commerce and industry to thrive. We want a decent quality of life for all our citizens. We want a region marked by the absence of hatred and the presence of peace and good will. That is who we are at our best.
The third observation is that, however we voted on Tuesday, we are not enemies of one another. In fact, we are going to need one another more than ever. A dose of wisdom from my faith tradition comes to mind. Addressing members of the church in Corinth that was being torn apart by conflict, Paul the Apostle reminded them that they were not isolated entities floating around, disconnected from one another, but were actually members of the same body, indispensable to one another. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ can it?” he asked.
Gwinnett County cannot say to Fulton County, “I have no need of you,” can it? Atlanta cannot say to Alpharetta, “I have no need of you,” can it? The NAACP cannot say to the chamber of commerce, “I have no need of you,” can it? It’s going to take us all — the victorious and the defeated, bringing our different perspectives but working together — to figure out our region’s future.
Maybe Missy Franklin can help us. As I watched her win her Olympic gold medal the other night, I was struck, not only by how splendid a swimmer she is, but by her human spirit and that of her rivals. Just a second after her victory was announced, the swimmer in the lane on her left reached across the lane divider and embraced Missy. Swim cap to swim cap, winner to loser, loser to winner. Then, the same thing happened with the swimmer on Missy’s right. Here were three young competitors whose lives had been focused for years on the single goal of victory in London. One emerged victorious. The other two did not. What a beautiful picture of how to compete with everything you’ve got, while keeping your humanity intact.
OK, Atlanta. No pouting on one side. No gloating on the other. Let’s try really hard to go forward in peace.
Joanna Adams is a retired Presbyterian minister in Atlanta and writes for the interfaith Higher Ground blog at www.highergroundgroup.org.
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