Letter to the Editor:
Many of you may be familiar with the live version of Bob Seger’s “Travelin’ Man/Beautiful Loser,” but for the uninitiated, the first song involves concepts like memories that make the traveling man a “wealthy soul,” while the latter involves a seemingly discordant labeling of a dependable best friend as a beautiful loser.
I’ve done my share of traveling throughout my life, and I can always say that memories from time spent outside South Dakota could never hold a candle to the resonance felt when seeing the “Welcome to South Dakota” signs or viewing the familiar fields on approach when flying back. Friends and family are a big reason, but others include memories of teachers like Mrs. Ten Eyck, Cruse, Chandler, Evans, Bormes; and Drs. Stover, Hess, and Male, whose lessons still impact me.
The “memory bank” also derives “wealth” from accounts like another teacher, Mr. Edwards, driving around my childhood neighborhood during the 2011 flooding in Pierre and rolling up his sleeves to help fill and place sandbags to protect homes. While I am confident South Dakotans would still pitch in to help our fellow citizens, I fear that rhetoric and reticence make that less likely, as factors like social media and misinformation cause some of us to lose sight of the dire circumstances many of our friends and family face in their personal and professional lives.
Individuals you share homes, schools, offices, churches, and store aisles with face concerns about whether they will have a job tomorrow, let alone a week or a month from now, and some fear that the erosion of civil liberties could result in “the state” wresting them from homes without due process.
Let’s live up to the ideals we have witnessed countless times here in South Dakota and not lose sight of the fact that the problems future generations will face will require not only an informed populace but collaboration among our “oldest and our best friends” and those whom I hope will be there when we need them again. Will you be there for your neighbor, both now and in the future?
Jake Cummings
Brookings
The Trust Project
