Where’S The Harmony? Where’S The Teamwork?

Does anyone remember that ‘60s hit song with the chorus “Come on people, now, smile on each other, everybody get together…”?

I sure did after receiving my firstever round of criticism for things I’d written right in this here column.

OK, OK, I’ll admit it was kind of stupid of me not to have realized that not everybody was gonna like what I have to say.

While I was busy visualizing my mom proudly admiring the handsome picture of me next to the column heading, other folks were stewing in their own juices over my content.

Turns out Mrs. Atwater (my wife, not my mom) hates that picture anyway. She says it makes me look mean.

Honestly, though, the fact that folks might actually hate what I write plumb evaded me.

It sure has sunk in now. I did want to maybe spark some debate, get folks thinking, and promote some consideration of opposing views.

I gotta tell you, though, some of the comments I heard in support of those views sure did worry me!

Take the guy who felt compelled to tell me that there was “Nothing wrong with the river that we humans did - that stuff’s been there forever, and besides, it all gets flushed down to the sea eventually.”

Or the fella who said my problem was that I “wasn’t tolerant enough” of bad drivers. ‘Splain that to me if you can. (If people drive badly, we should be more tolerant of them? Lord, give me strength.)

Then there’s the one who called my home at 7 a.m. and required three - count ‘em, three - answering machine sessions to inform me that, as The World’s Foremost Expert On Driving, he declares Spokanites to be the best drivers on the whole planet. Clearly, he said, there was “something psychologically wrong” with me for feeling the way I did.

What these folks illustrated for me is something that I believe is a primary reason that Spokane, and hence the Valley, is not changing for the better as much or as quickly as some of us would like. And that reason is this: We live in a very divisive and very stubborn place.

Recently, I heard Tom Matthews, the CEO of Avista, speak on this very subject. He mentioned that he had planned to build the corporation’s new headquarters right here in Spokane. When he made that intention known, analysts and others from Avista told him he’d be instantly devaluing the effort by doing so. That got Mr.

Matthews wondering why his people would say that.

In essence, what he came to realize was that the things we truly have going for us here - fantastic quality of life and wonderful people - are grossly overshadowed by our apparent lack of ability to work together toward attaining a greater common good.

He illustrated this fact by mentioning that Avista funded 10 civic groups last year, all of whom were working toward “improving community development.” Ten entities all working separately toward the same goal.

Mr. Matthews’s reaction to this was a good one, I believe.

He told all of these groups that they would not receive another penny from Avista unless they figured out a way to work together. And isn’t that the nature of teamwork?

Weren’t we always taught that we’re stronger standing together than alone?

I just don’t think that being contrary and stubborn is always a good thing, yet it seems that we’ll hold onto those qualities no matter what. We’re like pit bulls, waiting for a car to come by. Once one does, we’ll sink our teeth into a tire and never let go - rolling right on down the road with that Buick, just to make a point. Now, biting the tires on a moving car might or might not be such a wise idea.

But if that’s what we’re gonna do, we’d better be a pack of pit bulls workin’ together and not just a bunch of lonely dogs lined up beside the road.

That way, those Buicks won’t stand a chance.