A gentleman came into the office last week and placed two signs on the counter... Boy, was he angry! When I had a look at these two signs, I became pretty angry myself.
The signs are from Cormack Marsh, (named to honour a gentleman who gave much to the community) and were designed by students from our local elementary schools.
The Princeton Arts Council had signs made from posters created by our students in order to promote awareness and respect of our local wetland known as Cormack Marsh.
Along with the help of the Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists, the Princeton Sierra Fire Crew and other volunteers, the children spent days again this year cleaning up the marsh and creating the signs for it.
For some unknown reason, just a day after the cleanup, someone dumped a bunch of yard waste into the marsh and most recently, someone ripped these two signs down, along with the post they were attached to. Why?
Why is there such disrespect for the feelings and the hard work of others?
Why is there even the thought to deface or destroy a memorial, a protected area like the wetland, a mural or a sign created by a child?
Why is there graffiti on local buildings, broken windows, or tearing up of plant and flower gardens throughout the community?
These acts of destruction make no sense to me whatsoever.
Are they committed by children, teens or adults? —It makes no difference!
When someone puts their heart and soul into the creation, preservation or beautification of something that will bring no harm to anyone—no one else has the right to destroy it!
Here’s a simple solution. If you don’t like the memorial, mural, wetland or sign— then don’t look at it or go near it! Problem solved!
If you are an artist who feels the need to express yourself with graffiti on local buildings—why don’t you go in and ask the owner if they’d like a mural painted instead? Contact the Arts Council, I’m quite sure they would find some way of helping you put your talent to good use!
If you are an individual who is bored or angry about something, find another way to occupy your time or vent your frustrations.
Here are a few ideas...
There are plenty of seniors living in Princeton who could benefit from your time spent visiting with them or helping them with their homes and yards.
There are plenty of local volunteer organizations who would benefit from your knowledge and your time.
Check out the Leisure Guide that came in your mailbox and if not - online at princeton.ca. There are plenty of places in town that offer activities to do and many of them at little or no cost.
There is absolutely no good reason for destroying what does not belong to you—especially the faith of a child. If you destroy what a child creates, what trust or faith will they have in this world? What hope will be left for them? Think about it.