A vision I’ve been holding now for many years is a culture and society in which everyone feels that they have agency.
I think that one of the disappointing things for people alive today is that we find ourselves in authoritarian structures almost everywhere we go. The church, the family, school, work, and all of our interactions with government, police, and judges. It’s easy for a person to come away from these interactions feeling disempowered and disenfranchised.
One of the false arguments that is made is that we have to choose between authoritarianism and chaos. Now that’s a failure of imagination. We can do much better than that.
What I’d like to propose with The Fence is that as a general rule: people can and should take initiative. To voice their understanding of the world. To voice their intentions. To gather allies and resources and to get things done. I hope this is a useful tool for facilitating that process.
The flip side of personal autonomy is courtesy. Before you act, please check in first, with the people who will be impacted by your decisions. It doesn’t mean you have to let them control you, but it seems like a matter of decency and mutual respect to check in. We have this encoded into many of our laws; for instance if I start a business in a residential area in Paonia, I need to notify the town hall, who in turn will notify my neighbors and give them chance to comment and object. Courtesy.
So this is what I’m hoping The Fence becomes. A place where people feel empowered, but courteous. I think fantastic things will happen if we create the right culture. People will feel it when they walk in the room. They will like being here, and be curious to get to know us.
I’m committed to this direction. I’d love it, looking back, if we see a long history of successful businesses and communities formed with the help of The County Fence.
What’s your dream? What do you want to see happen in Delta County? What are you working on, and how can we help?
Wishing you all the best,
Brandon