That’s How We Do Things Around Here

As I write this we are receiving our first significant snowfall of the year.

In typical southwestern Ohio fashion most people, having stocked up on enough groceries to survive for several months, are cowering in their homes watching 24/7 weather reports that repeat the same information over and over again. Playing in the background is the most super-duper, Doppler-poppler, hoopty-doopty radar system money can buy. Each television station claims to have the most sophisticated radar available but they all look the same to me. These updates are interspersed with riveting reports from staff members sent out in the nasty weather, wrapped up in some truly unattractive outfits, helping us keep our fingers on the pulse of the effect this "blizzard" is having on Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Invariably the reporter is standing next to snow covered roadways reporting to us that it has snowed, it is cold and the roads have snow on them. And they call it news. I am thinking that when one of those cars zipping past hits a slick spot in the road they are going to make a slick spot in the road out of the reporter and then we really will have some news.

Those of us who feel that it is necessary for us to be at work have braved the "white death." Many of those on the highways are barreling along the Interstate at about 7 miles per hour causing those who do know how to drive in the snow to be ferociously frustrated and amazingly late to work.

Watching all of this happen brings back memories of my years in Iowa where any snowfall of less than 18 inches failed to make much of a mention on the evening news and no one considered for a moment staying home because of the weather. It was a cultural truth I learned soon after moving to central Iowa. During my first year serving the church there, on a Saturday evening we had our first 14+ inch snowfall of season. Being fresh from Kentucky I was pretty impressed. I called the Board Chair and sought advice about possibly canceling the Sunday services. He laughed at me. I took that as a no. He said, "Just wait and see what happens."

Sure enough, the people came. In fact, we had the largest crowd at church that morning since Easter Sunday. The place was packed and I was amazed. Later he told me, "Everyone comes on snowy days. It is a matter of pride." I soon learned that, no matter how you cut it, Iowans are a hardy lot.

The difference between a snowy day in Iowa and a snowy day in southern Ohio would cause one to doubt they were both in the same country. It is interesting to see the impact our culture, even the local culture, has on our attitudes and actions. We are more influenced by our cultural "Group-think" than any of us realize or would like to admit. For example, research has shown the more a particular mental disease is talked about in a society, the more news stories are written about it, the more research that is done and the more medication that is advertized, the more people are effected by those particular symptoms and claim to have and are diagnosed with that illness. Like it or not, we tend to talk ourselves into being crazy. No doubt we talk ourselves into a lot of irrational behavior. When it comes to our children we, as a society, have become "normally" paranoid. If one of our little darlings wanders out of our sight for an instant we are sure some big bad man will snatch them up. So we hover over our children 24/7. I believe some educators call us "helicopter parents." It is not healthy but it has become normal.

Impacting the culture in a positive way could be a good thing. Getting some positive, healthy group think going would be great. For example, if we were to truly believe that Jesus is Lord and that we serve Him and powerfully influenced our culture to believe that, it could be good. I think that is what God has called the church to do. We call that evangelism.

Well I have to be going. I have made about a million snowballs so I am going out to hide behind the bushes and wait for my neighbor to come out to shovel his walk. Me, I'm normal.

Copyright © 2010, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved