DISCLAIMER: Fellow bloggers, this is a very long & intentionally complex blog addressing topics that touch our community on a number of levels. It is intended to spark an intelligent exchange of ideas. I am *not* out to start a civil war of words, & if this blog seems to deteriorate into anything that resembles that, I will more than likely delete it because my intent is only to provoke a good & hardy discussion … but, the best of intentions can, & often do, pave the way to ‘hell’ … so w/ that in mind, read on…

Below is blogger bird’s post on M4S's “Dark Side: Week 14”. I was going to respond there ... but as is often the case, M4S’s weekly blogs inspire many comments & so mine would be quite nearly 'buried', so to speak, so I am going this route….a blog of its own.

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For some context, here is blogger bird's original post: "Don’t add us to that list!! Seven Fields succeeded from that Union for a good reason. We don't want any part of that. We're very happy the way we are. Seven Fields is a nice island on its own. Hey, we just got some nice new signs!!"
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Bird, (& any others out there in blog_land, who share a similar perspective, though not necessarily identical, would you, could you please provide the *objective* & *specific* reason wrt to your stmt that 7Fields seceded from the Union for a GOOD reason? I am going to assume for this discussion, that the Union you are referring to is C-town. I am *not* asking for the ‘lore’ or info readily available to the public via news, internet, etc… that is *not* what I am asking you for. Neither do I want the ‘sanitized’ facts; I am asking for the actual, objective facts that lead to the ‘split’. I am counting on the inherent (or at least perceived) anonymity of blogging, bird, to propel you to be among perhaps the 1st, who might actually give me a straightforward answer. I don’t want the ‘party line’ … because I have heard it N times from varying people for more than a dozen years. I am interested in the ‘whole’ story … or as Paul Harvey used to say, “… the rest of the story”. It is my hope, w/ new input, I will have new insight, & understand why it was *so* necessary that 7Fields break from C-town & ‘become its own island”, as your post strongly seems to imply.

WRT being on or living on one’s own island … I imagine you are familiar w/ this quote “No man is an island…” (John Donne (1572-1631))… This is a very basic & well proved principle that human beings do *not* thrive when isolated from others. I realize the obvious, that there are lots of people in 7Fields, & I am one of them; but, being on “an island” filled with other people does *not* automatically translate into NOT being isolated (from others) … & I do not mean, nor am I including, someone, anyone, who, for whatever their reason, imposes their own “self seclusion”.

Whatever went on btwn 7Fields & C-Twn seems to continue to play out, much like a metaphoric divorce w/ strong overtones of a sibling rivalry. And, I am not alone in feeling this way. There are times when I & others have encountered situations where it feels as if we are a child, whose divorced parents live close, share custody but somehow, their animosity toward one another falls upon the child to bear. But what seems even worse, (& I’ll stay w/ the divorce metaphor), 7Fields seems like the parent who (intentionally) antagonizes, not C-town. Bird, I ask you to bear in mind that I am trying to give you all of the background I have available, from both my own & others’ (actual) experiences, over at least the last decade.

And speaking of decades, it was more than a decade ago, that Pittsburgh Tech Council succeeded in their charter wrt start up companies; & it became obvious that the north suburbs of Pittsburgh were changing …. I remember having several discussions with people wrt 7Fields’ future status & saying that if 7Fields truly wanted to attain autonomy, IMHO, this would involve taking a serious look at redistricting. All these years later, one would think that 7Fields would have evolved into a distinct & separate entity from Cranberry Township; one w/ its own school district, its own public library, its own police dept., its own fire station, etc… & yes, even the often talked about but ever elusive separate zip code. So, not to mix metaphors (though I am about to :=) ) … the other sense I & others have felt, is that of a near sibling rivalry btwn 7Fields & C-town … this phenomena, though seems to rear it’s “ugly head” with equal frequency.

And so to wrap up my initial query, it was the end of your post that motivated me to ask you for additional clarification, specifically, “Seven Fields is a nice island on its own. Hey, we just got new street signs!!” …. Bird, it is always at this point in a blog discussion, at least for myself, that blogging (writing) falls far short of actual face to face conversing … there is no way for me to gage your body language, or voice inflections, etc… so what I am asking, is truly from the heart, & not w/ any bent towards being critical of you or your post, or of anyone who bravely decides to participate in this discussion. That said, it really was the last 2 sentences of your post, paired together, that sounded to me, no actually reeked of exactly (IMHO) of what is wrong w/ our society. I have strove to teach my children the exact opposite of what I think your post communicated to me, so again I am asking you for clarification.

Again, IMHO, it is this (very) way of thinking coupled with the current state of our society which now has such high tech that people, especially teens & young adults, can simply pick & choose like buttons on a vending machine the how, the when, the where, the why … & most importantly (& impacting) the WHO … that is of what they want & who they want to (or not want to) interact w/. Examples: Get out of the car, go into the bank, stand in line & interact w/ other customers & the teller *or* drive thru & use the atm; write a letter in longhand, find an envelope, address it & put a stamp on it & walk it (all the way) to the mailbox *or* email, text or IM; find change for a dollar & a payphone (are any left to be found?) to check in w/ mom & dad *or* reach in your purse or back pocket, pull out your cell, flip it open, push the preprogrammed speed dial & check in w/ your parents; get in a car (or better yet wait at a bus stop & ride public transportation) & drive/ride to meet a friend for coffee *or* hop over to a chat room; go to the library, look up & locate books, take notes & research a paper *or* power up the laptop & surf the internet; go to the mall & hang out w/ friends *or* use the cell or internet to patch in your top 5 …. I’ll stop here because the list is endless … it isn’t the evolution of what is available, it is that *everything* is available to everyone in pretty much not just an immediate fashion but in a nameless, faceless fashion…. IF one CHOOSES this route … & make no mistake, it is absolutely a choice we each make.

But it is the picking & choosing that is being sold as beneficial & hence ingrained in our kids today by all of the Madison Avenue marketers of these “must have, can’t live without’ high tech mechanisms, that to me, really drives the issue… for how will they learn to wait for anything; how will they learn the value of talking face to face w/ others; how will they learn that it isn’t only about them? Yes, yes, & a thousand times yes, it is absolutely our job as parents to teach them these things, but how much of what we teach as parents is morphed because of the very same high tech conveniences available to all of us as parents (or adults). And let’s be honest w/ ourselves, myself included, it seems, & often is, both faster & easier to make use of what we have at our fingertips & so one could easily rationalize that by making the choice to use the technology available it frees up greater amounts of discretionary time and that can now be used to spend quality time w/ one’s children & family. Again, be honest with yourself, is that what you do with all of that ‘extra’ time high tech buys you?

Our society provides instant gratification & then wonders why things are as they are. So, bird, as it was you who wrote the post, & ended it w/ these 2 provocative sentences … (& I realize that what I am asking you to clarify is not easy to teach, not easy to learn, & most certainly a tremendous challenge in this day & age to actually even attempt to live daily as an adult, let alone as a model to one’s children) you must be wondering, what exactly is the “IT” I am referring to. Okay, here it is, the “IT” I am referring to & how does “IT” relate to your post, specifically the last 2 sentences … “IT “ = the seemingly overt attitude w/ the defiant stance of exclusion & near unmistakable ‘bite’ of elitism, (i.e., the looking down on others (w/ or w/out intention) & then acting on that attitude (w/ or w/out intention), but nonetheless staunchly believing those actions are either ‘good’ or justified (or both), to take & to pass on to our children…

If, bird, you have made it this far, it is my sincere hope that you believe me when I say, that I am *not* picking on you personally, but it is your post that gave me the shove to put this whole topic out in the open. M4S’s Week 14 certainly nudged me, but it was your last 2 lines in your post, bird, that (seemed to) communicate so much, & encouraged me to take the risk & ask the blog community for their perspective.

So, although few will come right out & say it, there seems to be a pretty obvious long running, & ongoing feud btwn the city of Cranberry Twp., & the Borough of Seven Fields, & an attitude that appears to energize & keep it going. Kids have & do talk openly about the ‘invisible’ but very real “drawn lines” that exist based on where one lives … I recognize this is not new – but I am referring to their very honest & sometimes painful to hear discussions wrt the situation btwn C-town & 7Fields.

Bird, I am not switching gears – just about to use a difft analogy in hopes of grabbing a larger audience of bloggers, lurker, newbies, etc... who might put in their own 2 cents or if we’re really lucky their own $20 – either way … it will perhaps open a dialogue. So, here goes, bird, your post elicited the image of 2 of our most beloved core bloggers, Titan Lee & Hotfire. These 2 have a long standing faux rivalry playing out w/ the ultimate decision of which of them is the strongest, the smartest, the best looking, the best, the better, the bestest … being made in their ‘death match’ … rest assure that this is all in good fun … but both bloggers are male – both are highly intelligent, very articulate, well respected, long time community residents, & Pgh natives; and if one reads *past* a lot of the “distracting” dialogue… there is no doubt that these 2 are men – as in a “ man’s man”. Another beloved core blogger, M4S, once stated, & I gracefully admit he is absolutely correct, that “men are hunters & protectors” & these 2, Titan Lee & HotFire, most certainly personify this, ah, idea, quite well (Hey, TL & HF … this is a complement, ‘K?). And, for completeness, I will add that “women are indeed nurturers & gatherers”. I am *not* adding these 2 ideas to inject yet another potentially passionate blog topic - for the fact of the matter is, that men & women are indeed different … but they are (also) more similar than anyone wants to either consider, let alone admit. So again, my motivation behind throwing this into the mix is with the sole hope of the community talking about all of this, rather than not talking at all. So, how exactly do Titan Lee & HotFire relate to C-town & 7Fields … well, because these 2 towns in question seem to ‘act’ like they are much more in the “hunters & protectors” category … & I see IT as a “not_so_tongue_in_ cheek” version of the Titan Lee & Hotfire death match. Now these 2 do volley back & forth so very well … LOL but on a serious note, these 2 towns are real, w/ real people, real children, who are watching, & learning, what adults do or don’t do – any parent knows a young child’s mind is literally a sponge to their environment & parents of older kids know (or should know) that they should never underestimate how smart & intuitive their kids are.

So, bird, I hope that I have *not* misinterpreted the thrust of your post… but to be honest, it would be pretty difficult to ‘spin’ it otherwise … & so I am again, asking you for more specifics & objective ones, because it is exactly this type of thinking that always has & always will wound others, & often for their lifetime or worse generations to come. What sprang to mind was: ‘separate but equal’ … which history has absolutely shown, has not, does not, & will not *ever* work… And I personally felt, somewhere imbedded in your post, what IMHO was nearly even worse than ‘separate but equal’ -- because in your post I did not EVEN hear a hint of ‘equal’ but instead a pretty loud ‘we are better than’….

To all who read this … my posts/blogs are not intended for the reader who visits to browse … & if after a few lines it seems like nonsense & all over the place to you, please, simply skip it. I guarantee you that you will consistently find on the YC blog many who are very terse & very witty… I’m okay w/ that … but there are readers who will dig into this blog … for they already know that many of my blogs are written intentionally to gently discourage, (or perhaps fatigue :=) ) the reader who might scan & post the cursory retort. So bear that in mind as you read that it is by design that most of my blogs are lengthy, their content known to bring a flashback of some awful college theory class, & woven into them are a maze of what to some are unrelated analogies. It is my hope that maybe someone who has a real interest on the topic & has yet to voice an opinion, might be inspired to think about what it is they believe & why && then take the plunge & share it w/ us here on the YC blog. Yes this may seem a lofty goal, but hey why shoot if you don’t shoot for the stars. Now, that said, it is *not* to my desire to in any purposeful way attempt to EXCLUDE anyone – no I am merely saying … that I am looking to initiate intelligent & diversified dialogue from all community members … and having found it here before, I’ll keep coming back for more. So, please, if I wrote something that makes no sense, ask me to clarify it; if it is inaccurate, please do correct me … an even loftier goal for me is to always remain teachable… we all saw a steady stream of passionate & intelligent posts during the strike & have again, since its recent resolution & M4S’s Wk 14 sparked a # of discussion topics & I wanted to continue on this particular one …

Respectfully,

~Faith

PS I agree with you bird, the new signs in 7Fields are indeed very nice.