Viewpoints: Our Opinion
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File photo. The Clayton Tribune.
In this time of great national anxiety, it is reassuring to see and hear the outpouring of support for friends and neighbors here in Rabun County over the past few weeks.
From social media postings of encouragement, to offers of help for those struggling to deal with the unprecedented health crisis, Rabun County continues to be a shining beacon of hope in a sea of uncertainty and despair.
Those of us fortunate enough to call this home have always known that, as beautiful as our mountains, lakes and streams may be, it is the people of Rabun County who make this a special place. The goodness and generosity of our community is being manifested in ways large and small.
From simple acts of helping a neighbor secure much-needed food and medical supplies to grander offerings of support and encouragement that are already beginning to take root and sprout, our community is rallying together and will continue to do so for as long as this crisis lasts.
That’s what Rabun County is always about, and always has been.
For proof, we would point you to T.J. Smith’s excellent column on Page 5 of today’s paper.
Smith, the executive director of Foxfire, shares precious memories of Rabun County citizens who lived through the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918 that were captured as part of the organization’s oral history project.
These stories not only make for fascinating reading, they serve as a much-needed reminder that our community’s roots in neighborly service to our fellow man run deep and strong.
People are concerned. Many are scared. Some are terrified. And these feelings are justifiable, given the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment.
Nobody can say for sure how this will play out over the coming weeks and months, but we can say with complete confidence and without fear of contradiction that we will come through as a community, and we will come through together.
It’s easy to get caught up in negative emotions. You need look no further than your favorite social media outlet these past few weeks for plenty of proof of that.
Nobody ever built a monument to negativity, nor has pitting neighbor against neighbor ever solved a crisis in the history of the human race.
It’s hard work, compassion, a roll-up-our-sleeves-and-let’s-get-to-work approach, and a can-do attitude that has won the day for Rabun County—and indeed our great nation—for as long as we have existed.
So please keep that in mind in the days and weeks to come. No doubt there will be tough days ahead. There will be setbacks and disappointments, pain and despair.
But these need not defeat us, as individuals, as families, as a community or as a nation.
We have each other.
And that will be enough to see us through in the end.