As I read various newspapers this past week, I was quite conscious of the negatively worded articles that described how different groups or individuals blamed other people or organizations over this issue or that viewpoint. It was a “downer,” and I couldn’t help but recall the old saying – When you point your finger at someone else –
– three fingers are pointing back at you.” Now, that IMHO is “food for thought” and “hits the nail on the head;” because I, too, was guilty of “mentally” finding fault with someone else and was “thinking” finger-pointing thoughts. Hmmm, were there really three fingers (figuratively speaking) pointing back at me? Was I the one, really at fault and just trying to shift the blame toward someone else for my negative feelings?
Then, as I was flipping through my “business” cards; actually, I use five different ” cards to identify my various volunteer endeavors: The Petalumans of Yesteryear, Our Petaluma Electronic Network (OPEN), Alliance for Local Emergency Response Teams (ALERT), The First Airmail Flight 100th Anniversary Celebration, and last, but not least – PetalumaNet – my very first collaborative project, after moving to Petaluma.
The logo for PetalumaNet speaks for itself. It portrays four people or sectors of a community holding hands, as they circle a symbol for our globe with a computer monitor imprinted on our planet – Earth. This graphic is a symbolic representation of the mission of PetalumaNet: to promote greater use of technology and telecommunication in four principal sectors of a community: education, government, business, and non-profit organizations. In addition, it is also symbolic of the motto – one of the greatest resources of any community is the collective wisdom, knowledge and creativity of its citizens – working collaboratively.
In other words, it is more productive to hold hands and work together in order to address a common need or concern, rather than point a finger and blame some other person or group for creating the situation. Even though our cyberspace has been used in both positive and negative ways, Hammerhead hopes that most folks believe that it is easier and more beneficial for the greatest number of people to join hands rather that point an accusatory finger in anger or frustration towards others.
Guess what? Although I was thinking “finger-pointing” thoughts this past week, a couple of “hand holding” get-togethers with other concerned citizens made me feel much better and hopeful about the future of our community – Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, USA, Planet Earth. Stay tuned – the best is yet to come. (Not only for Petaluma, but for each one of us as individuals.) I’m feeling better, already.