Here Are My Thoughts

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.”

-Greek Proverb

One of the things that I believe with all my heart is that our choices determine the quality and direction of our lives. The decisions we make, what we choose to do or not do, ultimately create our future. We all have this in common—we can all look back on our lives, regardless of how long we’ve lived, and see that those choices have brought us to where we are now. We’re the product of the opportunities we’ve taken, the paths we’ve chosen, the places we’ve gone, the values we’ve set, and the people we’ve met. This is true of every individual.

And it’s also true of every community. I didn’t grow up in Marietta, but have had the opportunity to live in several different places in my life. And one thing that has been true of everywhere I’ve lived, and everywhere I’ve been, is that, like us, they’ve been the product of choices made in the past. A community, a city, is what it is now because of what was done before.

And Marietta is no different. Many of you know the history of this amazing river town much better than I do, and, as in your own life, you can look back on the life of Marietta and see the key choices that were made that have shaped its history. These were choices that were made with the future in mind, decisions that weighed the cost and ultimately pushed forward to create something great. In fact, Marietta was founded on such a choice. In March of 1786, Gen. Rufus Putnam and Dr. Manasseh Cutler met in Boston to form the group who ultimately would establish the first settlement of the Northwest Territory. We’re here today in large part because of that meeting, and the steps that followed. It was a choice that, yes, came with real cost, but ultimately, was worth it. It was a decision that determined and created a future for the town we call home.

I can’t help but believe that we have in our hands an opportunity to again create a future for Marietta. Right now, we have before us a chance to help determine the quality and direction of the life of the next generation, a chance granted to us by the upcoming Marietta City Schools Levy. I understand that this issue is divisive, and by not growing up here, I fully admit that I don’t understand all the history and baggage that has come along with these items in the past. But my fresh eyes tell me that this is an opportunity to push towards something greater. I know it’s not without cost, and in many cases, it would bring significant sacrifice. But the question I keep asking myself is, what legacy are we leaving? How are we stewarding our home now, in order to leave it better than we found it? Can we say that we really care about our community, and about our kids, if we’re unwilling to consider sacrificing for their future?

As this Levy has come to light, I’ve thought a lot about the quote at the beginning of this letter. I don’t want to get to the end of my life only to find that I made no impact, or thought only of myself. I don’t want the sum of my choices to simply be for my benefit. In short, I want to be a man who plants trees in whose shade I know I will never sit under. And I believe that supporting this Levy is an opportunity to do just that.

Marietta is, at its core, a town of pioneers, and pioneers look ahead, press forward, and choose what is best over what is easy or comfortable. They sacrifice, believing that there is something greater beyond what is now. We have the opportunity to again be pioneers, to lead to a new and better direction for our community. I hope we take it. I hope we choose to sacrifice. In doing so, we can create a brighter future. And that would be worth it.

Brett Hower

Marietta, by choice.