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Page 4A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Opinions
Ruffin’s Renderings: Here we go again
BY MIKE RUFFIN
RUFFINML@GMAIL.COM
D uring our forty-
three years of
marriage, my
Good Wife and I have
moved, on average, every
seven years. I sometimes
joke that we move so
regularly because 1 can’t
keep a job. That’s not
true. So far as 1 can tell, 1
have left every position
voluntarily.
I think wanderlust
afflicts us. We get bored
or antsy. Whatever the
reason, we get the feeling
that it’s time to move on.
And so we do.
We moved to Yates-
ville in 2015.1 had started
a new job at Smyth &
Helwys Publishing in Ma
con. My new workplace
was a 30-minute drive
from Yatesville.
Due to the generosity
of my late Uncle Jack,
we owned a few acres
on the farm where my
father had been born and
raised. So we decided
to build a house on that
land. That’s where we’ve
lived for the last six
years.
I’m grateful that we’ve
been there. It’s been
good to be back in my
home territory after 40
years away.
It’s been nice
to live closer to
family and to
reconnect with
old friends.
1 suppose 1
thought that our
move to Yates
ville would be
our last one until
we moved on to
our permanent,
heavenly home.
It hasn’t worked out that
way.
When we moved to
Yatesville, 1 said that
1 had come full circle.
There was truth in that
statement. But it may
have implied
that returning
“home” had
been a life-long
dream of mine.
That wasn’t
the case.
We moved
to Yatesville
because it
seemed con
venient to do
so more than
for some other,
greater reason.
Besides, what was full
circle for me wasn’t full
circle for us. 1 left my
home in Barnesville in
1975 to attend college
at Mercer University in
Macon. 1 met my future
Good Wife Debra in 1976.
We married in June of
1978.1 had just graduat
ed from Mercer, but she
had a year to go. So we
lived in Macon until she
graduated the following
summer. We left in Au
gust of 1979 to undertake
our further adventures.
By the time you read
this, we will be settling
into our new home in
Macon. So in a very real
sense, Debra and 1 have
come full circle. We are
back where we started
four and a half decades
ago. As was the case with
my return to the area of
my birth and upbring
ing, our return to Macon
wasn’t something that we
spent our lives hoping
would happen. But now
that it has, it feels right.
We are grateful.
1 hope this will be the
last move we ever make,
but I’m not counting on
it. I’ve learned better.
Given the regularity
with which our wander
lust symptoms have re
curred, it may turn out to
be a chronic condition.
Mike Ruffin is a Barnesville native.
His new book, Praying with Matthew,
is available at helwys.com and
Amazon.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE J. JOEL EDWARDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
This yard art was painted by Joyce Brenner. She and other
artists from the painting group Pallet Pals have art on dis
play at the J. Joel Edwards Library for the month of May.
Pallet Pals art on display
The art of the Pallet
Pals is on display for
the month of May at the
J. Joel Edwards Public
Library. Pallet Pals is a
group that meets through
TUAC, the Thomaston-
Upson Arts Council and
each artist has their
own unique style.
“We all have tech
niques and perspectives
but it came together
very well,” said artist
Joyce Brenner who has
mixed media, art decor
and yard art on display
in the library’s front
window. It is the fourth
year she has shown her
work at the library.
Other artists include
Brianna Monroe who
creates art through her
crochet work, including
pictures and portraits.
Rebekah Morris is a real
ist who ‘paints people’s
memories’ using acrylic
and oil paints. Tracy
This painting by Rebekah
Morris is part of the display.
Ryan creates unbeliev
able stained glass works
of art. Brenda Pitts
paints nature scenes
and animals using
mostly acrylic paints.
Steve Harrison creates
with mixed media and
he loves to paint trac
tors, trucks and other
vehicles in motion.
Tonie Monroe paints
nature scenes and gar
dens, mostly in acrylic.
Above left, a crocheted mushroom by Brianna Monroe.
Above right, stained glass by Tracy Ryan.
THINKING FOR A CHANGE
Jeopardy
BY ANTHONY VINSON
advkdv@att.net
The
popular
televi
sion game
show,
Jeopardy,
requires
contes
tants to frame their
answers in the form of
questions. A silly conceit,
certainly, but it works for
the show’s format, help
ing make it among the
most successful in the
history of television. And
while Jeopardy’s format
rightly underscores the
importance of questions
in the problem-solving
process, it also over
emphasizes the value of
general knowledge over
expertise.
Our society is beset
with problems large and
small, and everyone has
answers and solutions.
Everyone is an expert
in everything. Just ask.
Problem is, most of
them are, at best, embar
rassingly wrong, and
at worse, dangerously
inciteful. An underlying
factor is the illusion of
knowledge.
Expertise in a particu
lar discipline takes years
to achieve. It requires
foundational general
knowledge upon which
the structure of expertise
is erected. A high school
class in rudimentary
physics 30 years ago in
no way qualifies a person
to operate a nuclear reac
tor. And yet, a glimpse
at local social media
discussion pages seems
to reveal that our county
is littered with doctoral
degrees in fields of study
as diverse as macroeco
nomics, virology and
microbiology, chemical
engineering, and po
litical science. We boast
constitutional scholars,
sociologists, and classi
cally trained historians.
Who knew?!
Here is a truth: Most of
the people posting on so
cial media lack expertise
and training in any of the
fields of study or disci
plines upon which they
routinely pontificate. It
is evident in their posts
that most are function
ally ignorant of the basic
facts supporting their
fallacious arguments.
This is a problem. Why?
Because it is counterpro
ductive to our collective
welfare and security. It is
destructive rather than
creative and helpful.
There is an old riddle:
What’s the difference
between ignorance and
apathy? The answer? 1
don’t know, and 1 don’t
care.
Thing is, it is obvious
that the misinformed
social media posters do
care. They are deeply
concerned. They want
things to be better. In
many ways, and while
they would likely never
admit it, they are fright
ened and uncertain. The
real question is, do they
care enough to do more
than grouse on public
message boards?
The list of solvable is
sues and problems in our
county is long. The coun
ty is constantly seeking
citizens to sit on boards
of directors but get few
applicants for the posi
tions. Local organizations
need volunteers, goods,
and services. Families in
our county need cloth
ing, shoes, toiletries, and
food. Yes, food. There are
citizens who go to bed
hungry. Local businesses
need customers who
frequently shop at stores
in town and around the
county instead of online.
And so on.
Not everyone has
earned a doctoral degree.
1 have not. But 1 have
earned experience and
gained knowledge over
the decades that can
help in small ways. And
those small assists mat
ter. They may not get you
press and praise. They
may not win you a Nobel
Prize or Presidential
of Freedom medal, but
they matter. They matter
in ways unimaginable.
At least until you stop
tilting at windmills and
take whatever expertise
you do possess and put
it to use. Pick a problem
and offer a hand. Or two.
Put your muscle where
your mouth is and make
a difference, not another
divisive, unproductive
social media post.
Think about it!
Anthony Vinson is a freelance
writer, speaker and humorist for hire.
He lives in Williamson, GA, and can be
reached at advkdv@att.net.
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Pike County
Journal
Reporter
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
P.O. 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, Moiena,
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.
AT PIKE
BY BWAIN W. PENN
100 YEARS AGO
May 27, 1921: Flat Rock Church announced a
general meeting of Primitive Baptists through the
weekend of Fifth Sunday in May with two sermons
a day and lunch at noon. Elder W.H., Crouse of
Cordele and Elder A.V. Sims of Atlanta would attend.
75 YEARS AGO
May 30,1946: At the June 6 meeting of the Pike
American Legion Post, Mrs. Ralph Jones of Griffin
organized the women’s auxiliary. The auxiliary was
anticipated to grow since the post membership was
limited to veterans, but the auxiliary sought support
from wives, mothers and sisters of those veterans.
50 YEARS AGO
May 27,1971: Pike County High School com
mencement exercises were held May 31, at the school
auditorium with Donny Manley and Ruth Scoggins as
senior speakers. Other honor graduates were Rose
mary Dunn, Billy Hendricks and Susan Sharpe.
25 YEARS AGO
May 29, 1996: Rains eased drought conditions
in Pike but concerns about wildfire dangers and
water restrictions remained. County municipali
ties delayed water restrictions with encourage
ment for residents to conserve water usage.