Changing the world one word at a time

There is an old story about a man and his grandson walking along a beach one morning and finding it covered with thousands of stranded starfish (or other sea creature, there are many variations to the story).

The man reaches down, picks one up, and tosses it back into the ocean. After a while of doing this, the boy asks him why. “There are so many, how can it possibly make a difference?” the boy asks.

The man bends down, picks up another one, and tosses it back into the water. “It makes all the difference in the world to that one,” he says.

Sometimes that’s how I feel as a journalist. Most of what I write is just a recap from a meeting or an event. Sometimes, however, I champion a cause when I see something wrong. While shedding the light on something may only benefit a few people, or even one person, we all stand to gain something from it. I can’t take on everything that’s called to my attention – not by a longshot – but I can take on a few.

Last week I wrote about my experiences with bullies. I was inspired by the stabbing incident at Wharton High School. Since then you’d think the world has come unglued. On Wednesday, the school district posted a notice that the high school and junior high were temporarily placed on lockdown when it was reported that students were planning some sort of retaliation related to the stabbings. The rumor was found to be not credible and the lockdown was lifted.

About the same time, an East Bernard High School student was arrested for threatening other students on social media. I also received reports that two weeks earlier at the Boling football game against Van Vleck that there was supposedly some a big fight or brawl after the game. I checked it out and it turns out to have been an exchange of words and a little pushing and shoving. While I still don’t condone that behavior, it certainly wasn’t what it was made out to be.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the root causes of all this violence and hate going around. The only conclusion that I can reach is that there are many negative factors, large and small, impacting the way people think and act. The bottom line is that there is a severe breakdown in civility and decorum. Integrity is lost. My generation, our children, and now our grandchildren are experiencing a spiraling decline in moral character.

This brings me to my starfish. Rather than grouse and extrapolate about the cause, it’s time to find a solution. But what can I, the editor of a weekly and semiweekly newspapers, do about it? I will continue to report on incidences as best I can, but that doesn’t help solve the problem. What I can do is what I do best – use words.

Beginning with this edition of the paper you will find on the bottom of the front page a character trait. I will publish a word and brief definition of positive character traits that everyone should know and follow. Many of these traits appear to be missing in society today and I am taking it upon myself to make them known again.

The goal is that perhaps someone who needs to know these things will read them and take them to heart. It may only impact one person, or several, but each person reached is another starfish returned to the sea. It’s my hope that teachers, parents, and other people of influence will pick up on them and share them.

I don’t have any realistic expectation that these words will change the world but they can change a life, and one life changed can be worth the world. I do this of my own volition in hopes that others will join me in spreading the word and help clean our beach of starfish. Together we can do this.

Joe Southern is the managing editor of the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express. He can be reached at news@journal-spectator.com.