Why are we here?

Over the past few days, a close friend and I have had several conversations about the happenings in Town. The more we speak, the more we realize that we have a remarkable confluence of people and events, all coming together at the same time in the same place.

There seem to be three groups of people in our town.

The first are those who have been here for generations, if not centuries. They are the repositories of our rural heritage, the ones who have the most to teach the rest of us about the true history of our Town, the history of its people and its living traditions, not the pseudo-history of the dead stone of old houses.

The second group are those of us who have come into Rochester from elsewhere because we saw something that we not only liked but found to be worth joining and preserving. We have done our best to become a part of what is already here and to add to the existing value. We hope that our great-grandchildren will be looked upon as "old families" someday, eager to pass on the history of this Town to more newcomers being welcomed with open arms.

The third group are those who also came from elsewhere but want to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. Their nihilistic desires would create a new Town, devoid of any sense of community or history. They would base that Town on the idea that "old" is synonymous with "must be replaced" instead of meaning "to be treasured, cherished and protected."

In many towns throughout the Hudson Valley, an influx of those who do not understand rural life and have no desire to learn has turned entire communities upside down. These communities have been steamrollered by those in that Third Group, their families driven out under the burden of unwarranted taxes and over-regulation. They have seen all that their forefathers built cast aside by those who have no concept of tradition.

We, too, have seen our Town change over the past few years. Somehow, however, we have not succumbed to those who would implement a social scorched earth policy in order to re-form our Town into their fairy tale image of what a Town should be. If anything, the challenge posed by these "residents" has made us stronger, more determined, a real threat to their anti-democratic methods and goals.

I call them "residents" because that is what they term themselves, even forming an organization in which to congregate and cluck their tongues at all the backwards country-folk who just don't know what's best for us. We, on the other hand, are "neighbors." We define ourselves not by where we live, but by who surrounds us, who we help in time of need and who - in turn - help us.

These "residents" came in here seemingly overnight determined to devour everything and everyone who stood in their way. When the dust had settled, however, instead of a Town turned into a blank canvas ready for their abstract artists' brushes, they saw the old school classical work of art that is Rochester, undamaged - with true neighbors standing side-by-side saying "No, you won't take from us what is ours by the right of centuries."

We have a unique collection of talents, experiences and the iron determination to overcome the obstacles before us. God willing, we will emerge stronger than ever.

God willing. What an interesting phrase. While other Towns have fallen before the onslaught of those who prefer to destroy rather than to add to what is already there, we are fighting and gaining ground. God willing. Could there be a reason beyond what we comprehend for why all of us ended up in the same place, at the same time, ready to take up the challenge? God willing. Is there a plan yet to be revealed? God willing. Hmmm. I wonder.