Swans on Lake Osborne

Mute Swans

Driving down Lake Osborne on Monday, I spotted these two swans, resplendent in their magnificence, swimming and ducking their heads in the water looking for food and obviously having a compatible and peaceful moment on our beautiful lake. Swans form monogamous pair bonds that last for many years, and in some cases these can last for life. It was the most unusual sight and most likely I captured a twinkle in time.

I thought about this moment and how incongruous it all was compared to the turmoil in what could and should be a peaceful city with an elected body of city officials along with non-political city boards volunteering to do good work for all of the citizens here without the exclusion of others-- closing minds to other opinions based solely on personal assumptions. To strive for a more harmonious city is a goal that only can be achieved by a concerted effort to respect all citizens views, not just some, and certainly not just mine.

Volunteer boards should be encouraging more citizen participation, not less and this is particularly true of the Community Relations Board. How do you develop community relations when you limit free speech and citizens are not heard? Allowing citizens to speak only once during a meeting, particularly one that has contentious issues on the Agenda, is giving a strong message to the citizens they supposedly represent that the Board is there for some other purpose other than the Board's intent.

Wouldn't it be great if life could be as harmonious, on every given day, as portrayed by these two swans? We humans have a great talent for messing things up.