Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Learning from
BY JACQUELINE REYNOLDS
Red and Black Opinion Editor
A year ago, loneli
ness felt unnatu
ral. 1 was living
in a house with 10 girls,
socializing in my classes,
comfortable in my two-
year relationship and
involved in an outgoing
social scene. 1 assumed
1 was supposed to be an
extrovert. 1 was supposed
to enjoy the constant
human interactions and
surface-level conversa
tions because this was
college, and college was
the time to surround
yourself with people.
But there is something
shallow to this. 1 was a
shell of a person, lacking
the self-love, indepen
dence and moments of
sheer loneliness that can
lead a human being to
self-discovery. It took a
pandemic to wake me up
to myself, embrace being
lonely and learn from it.
1 am an out-of-state stu
dent from Fort Worth, Tex
as, and when COVID-19
began to threaten our
country in March 2020,
I was unable to return
to my home in Athens. 1
went from living in a loud
house and spending most
moments accompanied
by other people to joining
Zoom calls in the solidar
Opinions
loneliness during the pandemic
ity of my childhood bed
room. My parents were
my only source of human
interaction.
This was depressing
at first. Like most people,
and especially young
people, 1 experienced
selfish feelings of victim-
hood. 1 was robbed of
important summer intern
ships and spending one
of my last few semesters
as a college student with
a boyfriend three states
away and friends spread
across our anxiety-shak
en country.
But after a couple
of months, 1 began to
redefine this period of
isolation and confusion
as an opportunity for
self-reflection and clarity.
1 presume this pandemic
has brought on moments
of loneliness for most
people around the world.
And while being lonely is
generally perceived as a
negative feeling, a hard
ship on human mental
health, it is then when we
can hear ourselves the
loudest. You just have to
be willing to listen.
Around July, despite
the tragic talk of loss, fear
and distress, 1 realized
that 1 could finally hear
myself think, and she had
important things to say.
1 spent the quiet,
heated summer days with
myself. 1 started medi
tating and manifesting,
reflecting on my future
without the loud buzz
and input of everyone
else. 1 was doing freelance
work and noticed a new
sense of vulnerability and
distinctness in my writ
ing. 1 reconnected with
my family, recognized
meaning in deep conver
sations and found myself
fully present to life.
1 no longer fed off of
the empty validation 1
once searched for in oth
ers. When 1 was forced
away from the noise, from
the quick-paced college
environment and shallow
lifestyle of fleeting con
nections, 1 realized 1 had
been hiding from who 1
am and who 1 want to be.
While being lonely
can deter the soul, it can
also fill it up in ways that
many young people fear
to explore.
This year has been
hard on humanity, and 1
continue to grieve for the
losses brought on by this
virus. Yet sometimes it
takes adversity to spark
discovery, and it is im
portant to reflect on the
moments in life where we
wake up to ourselves.
Now loneliness feels
natural, for 1 have em
braced it and continue to
learn from it.
LETTERS T«
THE EDITOR
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Buses from the Pike and Griffin Spalding County schools
led the funeral procession for the late Rev. Daniel L. Driver
who drove school buses for more than 38 years.
Driver family thankful
for community support
Thank a Farmer, it’s Agriculture Week
SPECIAL PHOTO
Glenn Cochran has tended the Cochran family’s muscadine
vineyard in Meansville for more than 40 years, pruning the
vines each winter and harvesting the fruit each fall.
Mrs. Robin S. Driver
and the entire Driver
family would like to
thank the Pike and
Griffin Spalding County
Schools’ transportation
departments for their
tribute to the late Rev.
Daniel L. Driver for his
service as a retired bus
driver for over 38 years
of service by leading
his funeral processional
on Saturday March 13,
2021. Our hearts were
overwhelmed.
ROBINS. DRIVER
AND ENTIRE DRIVER FAMILY
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is National
Agriculture Week and citizens are
encouraged to show appreciation for
local farmers. Wednesday is Ag Hero
Day and Thursday is Ag Literacy Day
and the Journal Reporter would like
you to select your Ag Hero and write
a letter to the editor about them.
Submit letters to news @ pikecounty
georgia.com.
Agriculture is all
around us, it is what we
eat, what we wear, and
how we live our lives.
According to the Census
of Agriculture, in the
two counties of Upson
and Lamar, we have over
540 farms covering over
80 thousand acres. The
leading commodities in
the area include poultry,
forage, and cattle produc
tion.
Recently 1 had the
opportunity to judge a
contest where students
submitted papers on the
topic “What would hap
pen if there were no farm
ers or ranchers.” The
students definitely did
their research and found
products that we use ev
ery day that we would no
longer have available if
farmers were not produc
ing it. They listed differ
ent vegetables, fruits,
meats, clothing, shelter,
and medicines that we
would not have readily
available. It put into per
spective, for these kids,
what life could be like if
there were no farmers.
When this topic comes
up in discussion, it is
a perfect example of a
“looking at the glass half
full or half empty” situa
tion. Most might list off
the negatives from the
loss of farmers; what ma
terial “things” we would
lose, the shortage in food
supply and the drastic
changes that would have
to be made. l.e. the “glass
half empty” point of view.
1 prefer to look at it from
a glass half full perspec
tive. All the products and
services provided by
farmers.
All the hard work, time
and dedication they put
into their crops, forages,
and livestock. The way
they endure trials and
tribulations, like extreme
weather and pests, but
still devote their lives to
providing food, shelter,
clothing, and opportuni
ties to everyone in the
United States and the
World.
If you think back 20,
50, even 100 years ago
there were a lot less job
options, and a lot more
farm workers. The farm
ers we had then and the
farmers we have now,
have given us the op
portunities to expand
our knowledge base
and broaden our career
horizons. Let’s take the
time to thank our local
farmers and producers
for their strength. The
strength to work 365
days a year to produce
the everyday convenienc
es that we have come to
enjoy. 1 myself am not a
farmer, but 1 am honored
to have the opportunity
to work with those indi
viduals who are.
In the future, how will
you answer that ques
tion; what would happen
if there were no farmers
or ranchers? Will you
view the glass half empty,
or half full?
HAILEY ROBINSON
UGA EXTENSION AGENT
Thinking for a Change: Rush to
BY ANTHONY VINSON
advkdv@att.net
For a short period of
time after leaving the
army 1 drove a delivery
truck. Local radio was
a friend and companion
during those long days
on the road. But the
FM radio board of fare
quickly became boring,
familiar, and repetitive,
so 1 toggled over to the
AM band. There 1 discov
ered the nascent format
of ultra-conservative
talk radio. Still in its in
fancy then, the airwaves
crackled with energetic
jeremiads and damning
indictments against liber
als. Enrapt, 1 listened and
absorbed and soon found
myself marching to the
beat of those dissident
drummers.
Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.0. Box 789
16026 Barnesville St.
Zebulon, Ga. 30295
770.567.3446
The Pike County Journal
Reporter is the official
organ of Pike County, the
cities of Zebulon, Molena,
Meansville, Williamson
and Concord. It is
published weekly by
Hometown Newspapers
Inc. Second class
postage is paid at the
Zebulon, Ga Post Office.
Publishers; Walter and
Laura Geiger; staff:
Jennifer Taylor,
Brenda Sanchez and
Rachel McDaniel.
In retrospect I marvel
at how easily the daily
rants and ravings swayed
my thinking. I now realize
that my opinions were
provided, and that those
opinions were and are dia
metrically opposed to my
true nature. I am, and long
have been, a secular hu
manist liberal libertarian.
In essence, I value people
in all their many forms
and incarnations, I believe
in the least amount of gov
ernment necessary at any
given time, and advocate
for free-markets, freethink-
ing, and broad individual
freedoms tempered by
utilitarianism and com
mon sense. Whew! That’s
a brainpan full, huh? Al
low me to break it down.
No one, and I mean no
one, is in possession of
the precise formula for
creating the perfect
person. All of us are
flawed, either ge
netically, societally,
or both. We are the
products of our pro-
creative parental
pairings; a one-of-a-
kind concoction of baby
batter that produces a
unique new human animal
to roam the earth.
The moment we ar
rive on the planet we are
subject to forces beyond
our control. Our early
decisions are by proxy
through imperfect parents
living in imperfect soci
eties, most of whom do
their best, but all of whom
fall short to one degree or
another. Proper nutrition,
access to healthcare,
nurture, nature, butcher,
baker, candlestick maker
... every experience
matters and is
blended into the
person we eventu
ally become. We
are the sum of our
life experiences
multiplied by tens
of thousands of
factors beyond our ken or
control. But we can even
tually choose to change
the channel. Or better yet
cut the cords that con
nect us to media sources
concerned only with our
wallets at the expense of
our wellbeing.
Freedoms are most
easily defined by their
inherent responsibilities.
As a species, as a society,
we are responsible for one
another. This is lost on
many of my fellow homi-
nids. Society functions
best within a framework
of social equality and
Judgement
universal opportunity
of access. Don’t take my
word, study human
history. Society should
not be about who wins,
but rather ensuring that
everyone can win. Every
one. Every. One. This will
happen only when we
the people recognize our
responsibilities to one
another ... but how might
we affect that shift?
Obviously, I have ideas,
but instead of sharing
them, I will instead offer
a couple of suggestions
that might move us in the
right direction. To begin,
form your own opinions
and be true to your per
sonal values. Forget about
political divisions and see
your neighbors as people,
individuals, partners in
this experimental demo
cratic republic. We are not
the enemy; we are allies.
Once you grok that, things
will quickly begin to fall
into place.
Adopt an abundance
mentality. There really
is enough for everyone.
Sharing access to oppor
tunity is not a political
philosophy; it is a human
istic imperative. It is the
distillation of freedom. It
lifts us all.
And to end this short
list, be kind. Not to be
confused with niceness,
kindness is concerned
with truth, duty, and con
nection. Kindness is about
compassion and human
ness and understanding
that no matter where you
go, there you are. Now,
how to get from there to
where you want to go? Ah,
that is the question.
Think about it!
AT PIKE
BY DWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
March 25, 1921: On March 25, two Zebulon
high school debate teams competed in prelimi
nary district debates. One “negative team” trav
eled to Thomaston and the second “negative
team” hosted Griffin at Zebulon.
75 YEARS AGO
March 28, 1946: Concord mayor R.C. Blanks re
ceived a letter from two appreciative aviators Dan
Wolpin and Lou Fanklin. On a flight from Atlanta
to Columbus, they were lost in thick fog near Pine
Mountain until they saw “Concord” on a water
tank sticking up in the sky.
50 YEARS AGO
March 25, 1971: Pike County high basketball
ace Floyd Mack signed a grant-in-aid scholarship
with LaGrange College to get a college education
while playing basketball. Mack led the high school
team to a 20-7 record his senior year.
25 YEARS AGO
March 27, 1996: Pike County experienced growth
well above state average. During the first quarter of
1996,48 permits were issued for new homes and banks
experienced increases in new accounts and loans.