Wal-Mart!

well-timed or poorly timed is yours to decide, but a front-page article in our local paper today confirms vague rumors that Wal-Mart is pursuing a superstore in Three Rivers. in fact, the initial township meeting was taking place just about the time i was posting my "ad" for cultural movers and shakers to make Three Rivers their home.

which leads to various emotions including defeat, anger, sorrow, confusion.

i'm not just upset because Wal-Mart is an easy target for all that's wrong in the world today. i'm upset because people can operate outside a collective consciousness and do so willingly to not only their own peril, but to the peril of all to whom they are linked. David Koyzis writes in an excellent article about Christianity and liberalism that:

The lure of voluntarism--of not having to submit to anything or anyone outside of our own wills--is a powerful one throughout the western world and beyond. We dislike the thought that we may be under obligations to which we have not freely assented.

and so the idea that we may have some collective obligation to cultivate a local community with a vision is repulsive to many people. in seeking to secure "always the low price, always," we receive exactly what the slogan claims: the lowest possible value added to our communities. always.

when a community in LA voting down a Wal-Mart makes national headlines, i don't have much hope (beyond a miracle) that this little rural Midwest town can fight back successfully. but i do have hope for the places in our community that will fill the empty spaces Wal-Mart leaves in the lives of its producers, shoppers and employees.

and so my invitation becomes even more urgent--Three Rivers needs YOU!