(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Augusta Press.)
I was once told to “never sleep on airplanes.” When I first heard this comment, I accepted it with mixed emotions and even some questions.
Maybe this wisdom was passed on to me so that I wouldn’t have anything stolen from me. Maybe it was for safety reasons. Maybe, because at the end of the day after reading research, most people can’t sleep on airplanes. Actually none of those were the case. It’s truly because you may miss a “connection.”
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Now when I say connection, I’m not referring to your next plane. I’m actually referring to the person you are sitting next to. There are so many interesting people traveling, and you never know who you might be sitting next to.
During the last month of traveling I have met five individuals who are multi-millionaires and who have befriended me based on my kindness to them. I had no clue who any of these people were prior to meeting them. But we ended up chatting for a while, either based on sitting with each other on a plane or waiting on our delayed flight.
I learned of their net worth based upon me looking them up once they gave me their business cards. I’ve met doctors with specific practices (owning multiple offices); money market managers who manage billions of dollars a year; a guy who created a one-of-a-kind type of software that is used by the military to move people.
I will admit the one thing that perhaps drew all of them to say anything to me was that I was wearing a Masters shirt. I always wear a Masters shirt when I am traveling. I love repping my city and letting people know I am from Augusta. However, my conversation with these people was not because I was trying to get anything from anyone. In most cases, it was me trying to give someone a hand.
Either way, at the end of the day, we were talking about our wonderful spouses, how proud we are of our kids, and how it doesn’t cost anything to be nice. I can assure you that I made life-long connections and have been in contact with everyone of those guys since we first met. It cost nothing to be nice to people, and you never know where it may lead you.
I’m writing this as Monica and I make plans possibly to have Thanksgiving with our new friends at their house in the Hamptons.
Now on to something that hit close to home—but not at home.
This past week a journalist was killed out west by a politician who had seemingly had enough of what had been written. Not liking the things he had been accused of, he took matters into his own hands and killed the journalist.
This story sent shock waves and awe throughout the media community. If you missed it, you probably should take a moment and do some research. I would also tell you to take a moment and read this week’s editorial from TAP that covers this story a bit.
What type of world do we live in when a politician would kill a journalist over something he wrote? Then I though about an incident several years ago when a Georgia sheriff had a man killed that had just beat him in an election.
I wonder…is the job that serious? Do they take the job that seriously? Because if they did, they would not be in a position where people would have to write about them hopefully to get them to see the error of their ways.
How far does one have to go for someone to want to take their life for something like a news story that was so mild it didn’t even make the front page? Could it be the embarrassment the perpetrator encountered that made him do it or the pride he has on the inside that would make them commit such a heinous act?
Doesn’t matter how you slice it; it was totally uncalled for and shouldn’t have happened. Please pray for the family of that journalist and his coworkers as they try to wrap their heads around this entire thing. Also say a prayer for our local journalists and media folks who work hard each and every day to provide you news that matter to you.
Just because you don’t like what someone says or you disagree with them doesn’t mean they are wrong. That’s one of the biggest issues we live with in this country and especially in this community.
Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable; it will take you much further. My Grandpa would say, “Pride ain’t never helped nobody.” That’s truer today than ever.
Now let’s try to address some local issues.
I was happy to see where the Richmond County Commission voted for the “rollback.” This means that a lot of Augustans will not see an increase in their property taxes. But I’m trying to understand why I’m continuing to see comments from readers that say we will see increases? Oh well, maybe some of you can explain to me who will have an increase? Either way, it’s all good, and I believe once we see this new leadership come in, we will finally be able to get some things done.
I asked someone recently, “With some of the commissioners who are leaving, what has been some of their major accomplishments that you have seen?”
Crickets… I mean there has to be something we can see from those leaving office? Dennis Williams has been a commissioner for eight years. I am sure you can point out at least one thing he has done for the community and for his district?
Speaking of getting things done…
Seems as if the mayor’s motion to keep the media out of the courtroom is catching a little steam. I have contacted CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. To the best of my knowledge, none of them will be in attendance.
However, I’m hearing a special guest for the upcoming preceding may be worth the attendance. Who would have thought that after all this time…here I go, getting ahead of myself again.
Here’s a short message my Grandpa told me about geese when I was young.
We had some geese in the yard, and I was wondering why they were there. They were there for a few days, just back and forth from yard to yard but never too far away. Then one day they were gone. Maybe you have seen some in your yard or near your yard from time to time? You’re about to learn why and I hope you enjoy it.
When a flock of geese fly, they fly as a team. They fly as a unit. They fly with one goal— to get from Point A to Point B.
If you notice, the formation of a flock of geese is always in the shape of a “V.” There is always one goose that is at the point of that “V,” and that is by design. The goose at the point of the “V” — the lead goose – is creating a pocket of air current that makes flying for the rest of the flock much easier. The lead goose is hitting the headwinds straight on.
The lead goose is being buffeted by the crosswinds, the down winds and the wind shears. The lead goose is taking the punishment so that the other geese behind him or her can have an easier path through which to fly. They all are on the same team. They all have the same goal. They all fly with the same purpose—to get from Point A to Point B.
When the lead goose has been beat up too much, has been beaten down too much, or gets too tired to stay on the point and be buffeted any longer, it gives a signal and whoosh—a teammate, an ally, another goose, shifts position with it to take the point and give the leader some rest.
But they do not stop flying. They are all on the same team. They all have the same goal. They are all flying with the same purpose— to get from Point A to Point B.
If a goose gets sick, if a goose gets tired, if a goose gets hurt, or if a goose get wounded, they don’t let that goose go down to the ground all by itself. Two other geese at a minimum, sometimes three, sometimes four, go down with the tired goose or the wounded goose, and they stay with the one who had to drop out until that one is strong enough to get back up and resume flying again. Or they will stay with the goose until it dies so that it will not have to die alone.
Geese have more sense than people!
Whenever you hear all of that infernal noise coming from a flock of geese, moreover, it is not just background noise. It is not just needless noise.
The geese in the back of the “V” formation are honking their encouragement to the goose that is up on the point. They are saying, “Honk! Go ahead. Honk! You are doing a good job. Honk, honk! We got your back. Honk, honk! Let us know when you need some help or you need some rest.”
Don’t you wish more folk around us were like that?
Michael Meyers is a columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
