adopted this collective trait, whether as a means of self-preservation,
or as a method of explaining the unfathomable. People everywhere will
always have a fixation & fascination with living at the beach. Once you
can wrap your mind around the fact that we are not irreplaceable, but
interchangeable and expendable, it then becomes easier to understand
how our community works as it does, while also understanding the
compulsion to travel, etc.
The longer one calls Tybee home, the more familiar we become with
the irony that our community is beloved and sought after due to the
sensations of the sand pulling away from our toes. For many of us, this
act may serve as an all-too-real metaphor of the ground beneath us being
ripped away from us by unseen, invisible, and unforgivable forces. Let’s
hope that each of us find perspective this year to grasp the opportunities
that exist just beyond the horizon.
by Maranda
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TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2018 37
From the
RIVER’S END...
By Woody Hemphill
Welcome back islanders, and visitors, alike! Well wishes to those of
you perusing these pages while visiting your loved ones, reacquainting
yourselves with this lovely island, and those who ‘stumble upon us’ in
your travels. Let’s hope that this January finds each of you with a sense
of happiness, health, and a bit of wisdom bestowed after a topsy-turvy
2017. Is it just me, or have the past few years been especially hard on
people, as a species? As I prepared my thoughts to write this month’s
offering, I came across a quote by a former Facebook executive that
warns that social media is “destroying humanity.” Unfortunately, this
proverbial ‘train’ may have already ‘left the station.’
This doesn’t seem far-fetched as many of us make efforts to explain
the constructs of our world, the interworking of our society – even our
existence, by using video clips and sound bites. Now, I may be dating
myself, but I can remember a time when this dilemma was only shared
among elected officials and public-sector employees tasked with
keeping them informed. Like it or not, our world is continuously rendered
‘unsocial’ as cold, clandestine algorithms are designed that frame our
access to media sources into compartmentalized facets that blur our
understanding between universal truths and ethical journalism. Forgive
me for sounding like the old man who screams at kids to get off the
lawn. This is hardly my intention. Rather, in this digital age comprised
of access and information, the messages we send are increasingly vital
due to the ever-expanding frequency with which we receive them – even
when residing on the edge of the continent.
Cultural norms maintain that the month of January is for reflection,
based upon our interpretation of our experiences in relation to our overall
plan. At times changes are needed, and January affords us an opportunity
to decipher and recognize what needs to happen over the coming year.
As the calendar rolls into ’18, this may not be an easy task to decipher
between personal/professional interests, familial obligations, the needs
of our community, etc. Despite, or due to our tiny hamlet’s omnipotent
placement atop a floating sandbar, a source of our community pride is the
level of philanthropy shared with an understanding related to the return
on investment. Simply stated, our community understands intrinsically
and intimately that when we give of ourselves to others, we receive a
bounty, as well.
As we take part in this exercise, at times we may find ourselves
pleased with progress - at other times, stifled. One of the uncomfortable
truths of life on an island is how quickly changes come, and how fleeting
these can be at times. Yet, as soon as we become acquainted with our
tiny, sea-shored hamlet, we soon realize the hazards of idly standing
still less the waters bury us, or transport us ‘out to sea.’ Island people
describe this as “the tide rolls in, and the tide rolls out.” This is our
unique way of describing to newcomers that no one is unreplaceable,
and that as much as we want to affect our impact upon the world around
us, there will always be others after us… As the old adage holds ‘none
of us are an island’ – a lesson taught by the island itself - by residing
on one. Interestingly enough, like our perpetually moving sand – we’ve
THE
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