-Isms: Views on life in Rural America

Words to live by: Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

Easier said than done.

My inner peace is on high alert, and honestly, if you live in Clearwater (or any place affected by the topic I am addressing), your inner peace should be rattled, too.

For a while now, someone - or someones - have been vandalizing village property. Sand has been dumped in the restrooms in the park, clogging the sink. It’s not like someone uses the facility to rinse the grains of sand off their hands after playing in the park.

It’s more like the person or persons are dumping cupfuls.

This past weekend, someone broke beer bottles in the restroom. Thankfully, a local resident cleaned up the mess, before a youngster visiting the park was injured, and alerted village officials.

Another incidence of vandalism occurred at the future home of the historical society. A person or persons decided to break out windows from a door.

To the person or persons causing destruction on village property, you need to stop. At some point, you’re going to get in over your head and cause damage that cannot be undone.

Have you thought about the cost of vandalism? It requires extra work from the village maintenance person. The cost of your actions is passed on to taxpayers, the true owners of village property.

In the case of the broken glass at the historical society, your actions are causing an organization, that relies on donations, to pull from their coffers to fix what you’ve destroyed.

If the police become involved, that cost, again, falls on the village, who pays the Antelope County Sheriff’s Office to patrol this town.

You may believe your actions are all in the name of having fun, but I’ll bring this argument full circle. Your parents, as taxpayers, pay for amenities, like park equipment. Would your vandalize your own home? You know, the one your parents work to pay for?

Parents, if your children frequent the park, have you noticed any damage? Have you reported damage to any village personnel? If you’ve seen the destruction firsthand, why have you failed to report it?

If a teenager is destroying property, let’s channel your negative behavior and turn it into a positive outcome. Get involved in a community organization, volunteer at church, find something you are passionate about that does not bring destruction to our community.

My interpretation of Nebraska’s state statute regarding vandalism, is this: it’s a punishable offense, by fine or jail time, dependent on the dollar amount involved.

So I’ll ask this question to party or parties involved: Why would you deliberately cause harm to public property? Have you considered the consequences? Every action has a reaction, and if you are caught, are you prepared to pay a penalty for what you’ve done?

Each time you wreck something, you chip away at the pride, dedication and hard work other community members have exhibited.

Think about that.

Rant over, for now. Inner peace, temporarily restored.