CONSIDER THIS: How We Thrive Despite It All

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

Michael Rodriguez

I apologize if you have grown tired of looking at my ugly mug these last three editions. This was not my intention, I assure you. While I realize there was one other week, and I believe it was recently, in which “Consider This” was published in three consecutive issues, understand that the circumstances – at that time, anyway – called for it. In fact, events that have transpired in recent days absolutely called for the most recent entry as well.

The topics I’ve covered these last few weeks, as a result of said productivity on this page, have included local politics, seasonal stories of love, hope and understanding and a sobering tale of death. So to put it mildly, I’m somewhat drained.

Still, I feel compelled to write; ironically, such desire is derived from the same feelings that also prompt me to keep my mouth shut.

So why am I writing?

Well, I need closure, and I’m sure there are some of you who would like the same. The resolve I seek to achieve closure, mind you, lies not within my heart or inside a fortune cookie but in the cold, harsh realities of life and the heartwarming and reassuring actions of those who – as I have said in a previous piece – seek to put a little love in the heart of this beloved community.

Before I continue, allow me to first dispel any notion that all hope is lost in San Benito. Consider that this city is not defined by its controversies, however outrageous they may appear with school district officials bickering and city officeholders squirming amidst a highly-publicized indictment and their equally-contumelious treatment of local media for reporting these stories. All this aside, I often dismiss the idea that this town is the “laughing stock” of the Valley, as some would have you believe, primarily because I take into consideration the city where those laughing reside.

Since I’ve written about George Jacobs, one of my best friends who recently suffered an untimely death at the age of 30, and the inspiring displays of affection from people we’d otherwise not afford a second glance, the response received has been overwhelming. Please take note that my use of the word “overwhelming” is something of a landmark achievement for me since I avoid its use at all costs. Simply put, there’s no other way to describe the outpouring of support received for the aforementioned columns I’ve penned.

People have submitted pictures of volunteers donating their time and effort to the local food pantry, others have emailed photos of kisses and hugs between husbands and wives and parents and their children, in response to my challenge to the community to “show me the love.” Then there are the phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, website comments and visits to the San Benito News office by those who sought to express their condolences after learning of my friend’s death. Some were folks who I did not expect to hear from due to prior disagreements, and others were admirers who were simply touched by the very personal account of my friendship with George.

Before writing “The Greatest Guy You’ll Never Know,” the piece regarding the loss of said friend, I feared it would be panned, scoffed at even by those expecting another one of my commentaries on the school district’s woes or the mayor’s legal problems. It was a pleasant surprise to see it embraced instead, even garnering more likes on Facebook than any of my past columns, with the exception of perhaps one.

Yes, I understand that it was a topic in which one would appear crass if they weren’t supportive, so kind words are to be expected. But that’s my point entirely. The show of support wasn’t a case of convenience but necessity. In the middle of a hectic week involving the aftermath of an assault charge filed by the president of the San Benito CISD Board of Trustees against the VP, the bitter end of the Save Dolly campaign, the decision to uphold an ex-police officer’s indefinite suspension following his arrest for pointing his department-issued weapon at a sheriff’s deputy, and the ongoing saga of Mayor Joe H. Hernandez and the cluster of predicaments he’s incurred, many instead allowed a story that didn’t otherwise concern them to seep into their hearts and encourage them to act. Regardless of how small the action, this tells me that the citizens of San Benito are capable of caring for something that does not necessarily benefit them, that there are issues more important to residents than any dispute or controversy.

Local squabbles will continue to be reported and municipal and school district infighting will undoubtedly rule the headlines so long as those involved remain on the path they’ve become accustomed to traveling. What I would like for all of you to remember is that while such coverage is necessary, these matters that would otherwise be considered a black eye on the city should actually remind us of what makes San Benito great; that, at least as a people of compassion and understanding, we continue to thrive despite it all.

Read this story in the Dec. 9 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.